Long March 6 successfully made its first flight, what are the "new members" of the Long March rocket family?
On March 29, my country's first solid-bound carrier rocket, the Long March 6, was ignited at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and successfully sent two satellites into the predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. This was also the first flight test of this type of rocket. .
Looking back at the development history of my country's launch vehicles, the Long March rocket family has entered a new journey of "400+" launches.
In the new journey, the family tree of the new generation of Long March series of launch vehicles will continue to be improved. In addition to the first flight of the Long March 6, the Long March rocket family currently has many "new members", and they are collectively referred to as "the new generation of Long March series". Launch Vehicle", let's get to know them together!
Long March 5 and Long March 5 B
The Long March 5 is a new generation of large two-stage cryogenic liquid bundled launch vehicle, which completed its first flight test in November 2016.
In the future, it will undertake the launch tasks of the third-phase probe of the lunar exploration project and the test module of the manned space station.
After the successful development of the Long March 5, its comprehensive performance indicators are comparable to the international advanced level.
The Long March 5B carrier rocket is a large-scale low-Earth orbit liquid carrier rocket designed for the mission of launching the space station cabin. It is improved and developed on the basis of the Long March 5 carrier rocket. , follow the principles of technology sharing and product design, fully inherit the development foundation and experience of the Long March 5 carrier rocket, and improve the carrying capacity and reliability to meet the requirements of the space station engineering mission.
Long March No. 7 and Long March No. 7 Armour
The Long March 7 is a new generation of medium-sized two-stage liquid-bound carrier rockets.
As the messenger of goods, propellants and other materials to the space station and space science laboratory, the cargo spacecraft is affectionately called the "courier brother" in space.
The Long March 7A is a new-generation medium-sized high-orbit three-stage liquid-bound carrier rocket based on the Long March 7. The rocket is mainly used for satellite launch missions in geosynchronous orbit. The carrying capacity of the geosynchronous transfer orbit is 7 tons, which fills the geosynchronous transfer orbit of our country. There is a gap in carrying capacity between 5.5 tons and 7 tons.
Long March No. 8
The Long March 8 is a new generation of medium-sized two-stage liquid-bound launch vehicles that can be launched from Wenchang and Jiuquan.
The total length of the whole rocket is 50.3 meters, the diameter of the first stage of the core is 3.35 meters, the diameter of the second stage is 3 meters, the diameter of a single booster is 2.25 meters, and the take-off mass of the rocket is about 356 tons. It is mainly used to launch payloads in low-Earth orbit or sun-synchronous orbit. A payload of about 5 tons was sent into a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
Long March 11
The Long March 11 is the only solid launch vehicle in the Long March series of launch vehicles, which can be launched at different launch sites, sea and land.
The rocket is nearly 21 meters long, weighs 58 tons, and has a take-off thrust of 120 tons. It is compatible with two types of fairings, 2 meters and 1.6 meters, and can send a payload of 500 kilograms into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
The Long March 11 carrier rocket has the characteristics of hour-level launch, adapts to complex launch environments, and can be launched at sea based on civilian ships. So far, the rocket has been launched in Xichang, Jiuquan, and at sea, and has strong adaptability.
Based on the future international aerospace development trend, in order to maintain the advanced level of the aerospace transportation system, my country has planned a new generation of Long March series of launch vehicles.
At present, my country's new generation of launch vehicles has made a collective appearance, gradually taking on heavy responsibilities in intensive and complex space missions. China's launch vehicle development has entered a new stage of green and pollution-free development, and its carrying capacity has reached a world-class level.
Compared with active launch vehicles, the launch of a new generation of launch vehicles is another huge technological leap. Not only does it use non-toxic and non-polluting propellants, but its carrying capacity has doubled, greatly improving my country's ability to enter space.
With the development and improvement of the new generation of Long March series of launch vehicles, the current active launch vehicles will gradually withdraw from the stage of history, realize the full replacement of old and new rockets, and achieve a new leap in the technical level of my country's launch vehicles.
Reporter: Hu Zhe