| Long March 6 | |||
| Function: | Small launch vehicle | ||
| Manufacturer: | Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology[1] | ||
| Country-Origin: | China | ||
| Stages: | 3 | ||
| Capacities: |
| ||
| Family: | Long March | ||
| Comparable: | Minotaur-C, PSLV-CA | ||
| Status: | Active | ||
| Sites: | Taiyuan, LA-16 | ||
| Launches: | 13 | ||
| Success: | 13 | ||
| First: | 19 September 2015 [2] | ||
| Last: | 22 October 2024 | ||
| Stagedata: | |||
The Long March 6 or Chang Zheng 6 as in pinyin, abbreviated LM 6 for export or CZ 6 within China, is a Chinese liquid-fuelled launch vehicle of the Long March family, which was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) [5] and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). The rocket was developed in the 2000s, and made its maiden flight in 2015.[6] As one of the new generation rocket family, the Long March 6 was designed to be a light capacity, "high-speed response" rocket, complementing the heavy lift Long March 5 and the mid-heavy lift Long March 7 rocket families. It is capable of placing at least of payload into a Sun-synchronous orbit.[7] [6] The first stage of the Long March 6 was derived from the booster rockets being developed for the Long March 5 rocket. It is powered by a YF-100 engine, which generates of thrust from burning kerosene and LOX as rocket fuel and oxidiser.[6] This was the first flight of the new engine design.[2]
An enlarged variant, the Long March 6A, which has four strap-on solid boosters, an elongated stage one, a new stage two with the same diameter as the first stage, and a payload capacity of at least 4000 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit, made its maiden flight on 29 March 2022.[8] A further iteration named the Long March 6C with a slightly shorter length than the 6A and without the four strap-on solid boosters had its successful maiden launch on 7 May 2024.[9]
| Flight number | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y1 | 19 September 2015 23:01 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | ZDPS-2A, ZDPS-2B NS-2 ZJ-1, ZJ-2 Tiantuo 3 NUDT-Phone-Sat Xingchen 1/2/3/4 LilacSat 2 XY-2 DCBB Xiwang-2A/2B/2C/2E/2F | SSO | ||
| 2 | Y2 | 21 November 2017 04:50 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Jilin 1-04/05/06 | SSO | ||
| 3 | Y4 | 13 November 2019 06:35 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Ningxia-1 01 Ningxia-1 02 Ningxia-1 03 Ningxia-1 04 Ningxia-1 05 | LEO | ||
| 4 | Y3 | 6 November 2020 03:19 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | ÑuSat 9-18 (10 satellites) | SSO | ||
| 5 | Y5 | 27 April 2021 03:20 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Qilu-1 Qilu-4 Foshan-1 Zhongan Guotong-1 Tianqi-9 Origin Space NEO-1 Tai King II 01 Golden Bauhinia-1 01 Golden Bauhinia-1 02 | SSO | ||
| 6 | Y6 | 9 July 2021 11:59 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Zhuzhou-1 01 Zhuzhou-1 02 Zhuzhou-1 03 Zhuzhou-1 04 Zhuzhou-1 05 | LEO | ||
| 7 | Y7 | 4 August 2021 11:01 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | KL-Beta A KL-Beta B | Polar | ||
| 8 | Y8 | 5 November 2021 02:19 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Guangmu-1 (CASEarth) | SSO | ||
| 9 | Y10 | 10 August 2022 04:50 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Jilin-1 GF-03D09, 35-43 Yunyao-1 04–08 Tianjin Binghai-1 | SSO | ||
| 10 | Y9 | 26 September 2022 23:50 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Shiyan 16A Shiyan 16B Shiyan 17 | SSO | ||
| 11 | Y12 | 20 June 2023 03:18 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Shiyan 25 | SSO | ||
| 12 | Y11 | 5 September 2024 18:30 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Geely Constellation Group 03 (10 sats) | LEO | ||
| 13 | Y13 | 22 October 2024 00:10 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Tianping-3 A01 Tianping-3 B01 Tianping-3 B02 | SSO |
Lists of launches for the related Long March 6A and Long March 6C can be found in their respective Wikipedia pages.