Long March 3B reaches the 100th launch milestone

Long March 3B reaches the 100th launch milestone

by Simon Mansfield

Sydney, Australia (SPX), December 4, 2024

According to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. China successfully launched a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province on Tuesday afternoon, placing an experimental satellite, Communication Technology Demonstrator 13, into its intended orbit.

The rocket lifted off at 1:56 p.m., marking a significant achievement as it was the 100th launch of the Long March 3B, the first Chinese rocket model to reach this milestone. All 100 missions were carried out from the Xichang Cosmodrome.

Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a subsidiary of CASC, the Long March 3B is a medium rocket with a height of 56.3 meters and a diameter of 3.35 meters. Equipped with three stages and four side boosters, it uses liquid propellant engines and has a takeoff weight of 456 tons. Its main task is to transport satellites with a payload capacity of 5.5 tons into geostationary transfer orbit. The rocket is also capable of carrying spacecraft into medium Earth and lunar orbits.

Development of the Long March 3B began in July 1989, and government funding was approved in 1993. The maiden flight in February 1996 aimed to deploy a communications satellite but failed due to a leadership problem. The model recovered in August 1997 and successfully launched a satellite for a Philippine aerospace company.

Since then, the Long March 3B has been instrumental in various national space programs, including launching Beidou satellites and supporting lunar exploration missions such as Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4. Beidou, one of China’s most important satellite systems, is part of its global navigation network, which includes GPS, GLONASS and Galileo. Over the past two decades, the Long March 3 rockets have launched 64 Beidou satellites into orbit.

Tuesday’s launch was China’s 60th space mission of the year and the 549th flight of the Long March rocket family. The Satellite Communication Technology Demonstrator 13, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, another CASC subsidiary, will support satellite communications, radio and television signal relaying, data transmission and advanced technology testing.

Related links

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

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