What to expect from the "Long March Rocket Family" in 2024? Many rocket experts reveal the secrets

　　China News Service, Beijing, February 26 (Reporter Ma Shuaisha) China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation released the "China Aerospace Science and Technology Activities Blue Book (2023)" in Beijing on the 26th.

The reporter learned from the meeting that in 2024, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation plans to arrange nearly 70 space launch missions and launch more than 290 spacecrafts, including Long March 6C, Long March 8 improved version, Long March 12 and other types of rockets. It will fly for the first time this year.

　　In the first half of this year, the basic Long March 8 rocket will carry out the Queqiao 2 relay satellite launch mission. This is the first time the Long March 8 carrier rocket has carried out a national major engineering launch mission. In addition, it will also undertake multiple commercial satellite network launch missions. .

　　It is understood that the Long March 8 launch vehicle includes three configurations: basic, expanded and improved.

Its improved rocket will make its first flight this year and will soon switch to high-frequency launches.

Compared with the basic type, the second stage of the improved rocket core is a newly developed 3.35-meter hydrogen-oxygen final stage.

This type of rocket will be launched mainly at China's first commercial space launch site and will become one of the main rockets in China's subsequent commercial space launch market.

　　Also set to make its first flight at the commercial space launch site is the Long March 12 launch vehicle.

The Long March 12 carrier rocket was developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Its low-Earth orbit carrying capacity is not less than 10 tons, and its 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit carrying capacity is not less than 6 tons.

　　Zeng Wenhua, chief designer of the Long March 12 launch vehicle, said that the biggest feature of the Long March 12 launch vehicle is the first 3.8-meter rocket body diameter in the Long March series of rockets.

At present, the Long March 12 launch vehicle has completed all development work and is undergoing the final assembly and testing of the first flight rocket.

　　In addition, the Long March 6 rocket series will also welcome its third member this year - the Long March 6C launch vehicle.

According to Yu Yansheng, the general chief designer of the Long March 6C launch vehicle of the Eighth Route Army, it inherits the mature technologies and products of new generation launch vehicles such as the Long March 6 and the Long March 6 Modification, and its 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit has a carrying capacity of about 2 tons. , the 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit has a carrying capacity of about 2.4 tons. The satellite fairing includes different sizes such as 3.35 meters and 3.8 meters, which can be adapted according to different tasks.

　　Not used in the Long March 6, China's first solid-bundled rocket, the Long March 6C launch vehicle is a new single-core liquid launch vehicle.

Yu Yansheng said that this model will further improve the model spectrum of China's new generation Long March series of launch vehicles and form a gradient coverage of capabilities.

　　In addition to these new members, the performance of the Long March "new generation" including the Long March 5 carrier rocket is also exciting.

In 2024, the Long March 5 series rockets will carry out multiple launch missions. Among them, the one that has attracted much attention is the launch of the Chang'e-6 probe, which will help achieve the first human return of samples from the back of the moon.

　　Chang Wuquan, a rocket overall design expert at the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said that in the future, the Long March 5 carrier rocket will also carry out the launch missions of Chang'e 8, Tianwen 3 and other detectors.

This year, the scientific research team will carry out rocket demonstration and program design work for the subsequent fourth phase of the lunar exploration project, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8, as well as Tianwen-3, high-orbit mass payload and other missions.

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