Long March 3B
 The launch of a Long March 3B carrier rocket at Xichang Satellite Launch Center. | |
| Function | Carrier rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | CALT |
| Country of origin | China |
| Size | |
| Height | 3B: 54.838 metres (179.91 ft)[1] 3B/E: 56.326 metres (184.80 ft)[2] |
| Diameter | 3.35 metres (11.0 ft)[1] |
| Mass | 3B: 425,800 kilograms (938,700 lb)[1] 3B/E: 458,970 kilograms (1,011,860 lb)[2] |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO |
12,000 kilograms (26,000 lb)[3][4] |
| Payload to SSO |
5,700 kilograms (12,600 lb)[3][4] |
| Payload to GTO |
3B: 5,100 kilograms (11,200 lb)[3][4] 3B/E: 5,500 kilograms (12,100 lb)[2][3] |
| Payload to GEO |
2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb)[4] |
| Payload to HCO |
3,300 kilograms (7,300 lb)[3][4] |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Long March |
| Derivatives | Long March 3C |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | LA-2 & LA-3, XSLC |
| Total launches | 3B: 12 3B/E: 23 Total: 35 |
| Successes | 3B: 10 3B/E: 23 Total: 33 |
| Failures | 3B: 1 |
| Partial failures | 3B: 1 |
| First flight | 3B: 14 February 1996 3B/E: 13 May 2007 |
| Boosters (3B) | |
| No boosters | 4 |
| Length | 15.33 m (50.3 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) |
| Propellant mass | 37,700 kg (83,100 lb) |
| Engines | 1 YF-25 |
| Thrust | 740.4 kN (166,400 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 2,556.2 m/s (260.66 s) |
| Burn time | 127 s |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
| Boosters (3B/E) | |
| No boosters | 4 |
| Length | 16.1 m (53 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) |
| Propellant mass | 41,100 kg (90,600 lb) |
| Engines | 1 YF-25 |
| Thrust | 740.4 kN (166,400 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 2,556.2 m/s (260.66 s) |
| Burn time | 140 s |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
| First Stage (3B) | |
| Length | 23.27 m (76.3 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 171,800 kg (378,800 lb) |
| Engines | 4 YF-21C |
| Thrust | 2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 2,556.5 m/s (260.69 s) |
| Burn time | 145 s |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
| First Stage (3B/E) | |
| Length | 24.76 m (81.2 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 186,200 kg (410,500 lb) |
| Engines | 4 YF-21C |
| Thrust | 2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 2,556.5 m/s (260.69 s) |
| Burn time | 158 s |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
| Second Stage | |
| Length | 12.92 m (42.4 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 49,400 kg (108,900 lb) |
| Engines | 1 YF-24E (YF-22E (Main) 4 x YF-23C (Vernier)) |
| Thrust | 742 kN (167,000 lbf) (Main) 47.1 kN (10,600 lbf) (Vernier) |
| Specific impulse | 2,922.57 m/s (298.019 s) (Main) 2,910.5 m/s (296.79 s) (Vernier) |
| Burn time | 185 s |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
| Third Stage | |
| Length | 12.38 m (40.6 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.0 m (9.8 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 18,200 kg (40,100 lb) |
| Engines | 1 YF-75 |
| Thrust | 167.17 kN (37,580 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 4,295 m/s (438.0 s) |
| Burn time | 478 s |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
The Long March 3B (Chinese: 长征三号乙火箭, Chang Zheng 3B), also known as the CZ-3B and LM-3B, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Introduced in 1996, it is launched from Launch Area 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan. A three-stage rocket with four strap-on liquid rocket boosters, it is currently the most powerful member of the Long March rocket family and the heaviest of the Long March 3 rocket family, and is mainly used to place communications satellites into geosynchronous orbits.
An enhanced version, the Long March 3B/E, was introduced in 2007 to increase the rocket's GTO cargo capacity and lift heavier GEO communications satellites. The Long March 3B also served as the basis for the medium-capacity Long March 3C, which was first launched in 2008. As of January 2016, the Long March 3B and 3B/E have conducted 33 successful launches, with two others ending in partial or complete failure.
History
The development of the Long March 3B began in 1986 to meet the needs of the international GEO communications satellite market. During its maiden flight on 14 February 1996 carrying the Intelsat 708 satellite, the rocket suffered a guidance failure two seconds into the flight and destroyed a nearby town, killing at least six people,[5] but outside estimates suggest that anywhere between 200 to 500 people might have been killed.[6] However, the author of [6] later ruled out large casualties, because evidence suggest that the crash site is evacuated before launching.[7]
The Long March 3B and 3B/E rockets conducted ten successful launches between 1997 and 2008.[2]
In 1997, the Agila 2 satellite was forced to use onboard propellant to reach its correct orbit because of poor injection accuracy on the part of its Long March 3B launch vehicle.[8] In 2009, a Long March 3B partially failed during launch due to a third stage anomaly, which resulted in the Palapa-D satellite reaching a lower orbit than planned.[9] Nonetheless, the satellite was able to maneuver itself into the planned orbit. The Long March 3B and its variants remain in active use as of January 2014, having conducted a total of 23 consecutive successful launches.
In December 2013, a Long March 3B/E successfully lifted Chang'e 3, China's first Lunar lander and rover into the projected lunar-transfer orbit.
Design and variants
The Long March 3B is based on the Long March 3A as its core stage, with four liquid boosters strapped on the first stage. It has an LEO cargo capacity of 12,000 kilograms (26,000 lb) and a GTO capacity is 5,100 kilograms (11,200 lb).
Long March 3B/E
The Long March 3B/E is an enhanced variant of the Long March 3B, featuring an enlarged first stage and boosters, increasing its GTO payload capacity to 5,500 kilograms (12,100 lb).[10] Its maiden flight took place on 13 May 2007, when it successfully launched Nigeria's NigComSat-1, the first African geosynchronous communications satellite. In 2013, it successfully launched China's first lunar lander Chang'e 3 and lunar rover Yutu.
Long March 3C
A modified version of the Long March 3B, the Long March 3C, was developed in the mid-1990s to bridge the gap in payload capacity between the Long March 3B and 3A. It is almost identical to the Long March 3B, but has two boosters instead of four, giving it a reduced GTO payload capacity of 3,800 kilograms (8,400 lb). Its maiden launch took place on 25 April 2008.
List of Launches
| Flight number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Version | Payload | Orbit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 14, 1996 19:01 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | Intelsat 708 | GTO | Failure |
| 2 | August 19, 1997 17:50 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | Agila-2 | GTO | Success |
| 3 | October 16, 1997 19:13 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | APStar 2R | GTO | Success |
| 4 | May 30, 1998 10:00 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | Chinastar 1 | GTO | Success |
| 5 | July 18, 1998 09:20 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | SinoSat 1 | GTO | Success |
| 6 | April 12, 2005 12:00 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | APStar 6 | GTO | Success |
| 7 | October 28, 2006 16:20 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | SinoSat 2 | GTO | Success |
| 8 | May 13, 2007 16:01 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | NigComSat-1 | GTO | Success |
| 9 | July 5, 2007 12:08 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | ChinaSat 6B | GTO | Success |
| 10 | June 9, 2008 12:15 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | ChinaSat 9 | GTO | Success |
| 11 | October 29, 2008 16:53 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | Venesat-1 | GTO | Success |
| 12 | August 31, 2009 09:28 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | Palapa-D | GTO | Partial Failure |
| 13 | September 4, 2010 16:14 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | SinoSat 6 | GTO | Success |
| 14 | June 20, 2011 16:13 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | ChinaSat 10 | GTO | Success |
| 15 | August 11, 2011 16:15 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | Paksat-1R | GTO | Success |
| 16 | September 18, 2011 16:33 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | ChinaSat 1A | GTO | Success |
| 17 | October 7, 2011 08:21 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | Eutelsat W3C | GTO | Success |
| 18 | December 19, 2011 16:41 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | NigComSat-1R | GTO | Success |
| 19 | March 31, 2012 10:27 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | APStar 7 | GTO | Success |
| 20 | April 29, 2012 20:50 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | Compass-M3 Compass-M4 |
MTO | Success |
| 21 | May 26, 2012 15:56 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | ChinaSat 2A | GTO | Success |
| 22 | September 18, 2012 19:10 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B | Compass-M5 Compass-M6 |
MTO | Success |
| 23 | November 27, 2012 10:13 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | ChinaSat 12 | GTO | Success |
| 24 | May 1, 2013 16:06 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | ChinaSat 11 | GTO | Success |
| 25 | December 1, 2013 17:30 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | Chang'e 3 | LTO | Success |
| 26 | December 20, 2013 16:42 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | Túpac Katari 1 | GTO | Success |
| 27 | July 25, 2015 12:29 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/YZ-1 | BDS M1-S BDS M2-S |
MEO | Success |
| 28 | September 12, 2015 15:42 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | TJS-1 | GTO | Success |
| 29 | September 29, 2015 23:13 |
LA-3, XSLC | 3B/E | BDS I2-S | GTO | Success |
| 30 | October 16, 2015 16:16 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | APStar 9 | GTO | Success |
| 31 | November 3, 2015 16:25 |
LA-3, XSLC | 3B/E | ChinaSat 2C | GTO | Success |
| 32 | November 20, 2015 16:07 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | LaoSat-1 | GTO | Success |
| 33 | December 9, 2015 16:46 |
LA-3, XSLC | 3B/E | ChinaSat 1C | GTO | Success |
| 34 | December 28, 2015 16:04 |
LA-2, XSLC | 3B/E | Gaofen 4 | GTO | Success |
| 35 | January 15, 2016 16:57 |
LA-3, XSLC | 3B/E | Belintersat-1 | GTO | Success |
Launch failures
Intelsat 708 launch failure
On February 14, 1996, the launch of the first Long March 3B with Intelsat 708 failed just after liftoff when the launch vehicle veered off course and exploded when it hit the ground at T+23 seconds. At least 6 people on the ground were killed by the explosion. The cause of the accident was traced to short-circuiting of the vehicle's guidance platform at liftoff.
Palapa-D launch failure
On August 31, 2009, during the launch of Palapa-D, the third stage engine under-performed and placed the satellite into a lower than planned orbit. The satellite was able to make up the performance shortfall using its own engine and reach geosynchronous orbit, but with its lifetime shortened to 10.5 years. Investigation found that the engine’s gas generator suffered a burn-through due to ice blockage in the engine’s liquid-hydrogen injectors.[11]
References
- 1 2 3 Mark Wade. "CZ-3B". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 "LM-3B". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "LM-3A Series Launch Vehicle User's Manual - Issue 2011" (PDF). China Great Wall Industries Corporation. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gunter Krebs. "CZ-3B (Chang Zheng-3B)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- ↑ Select Committee of the United States House of Representatives (3 January 1999). "Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral". U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- 1 2 Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster". The Space Review. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ↑ Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster (part 2)". The Space Review. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ↑ International reference guide to space launch systems. Fourth edition. p. 243. ISBN 1-56347-591-X.
- ↑ ""帕拉帕－Ｄ"通信卫星未能进入预定轨道". Xinhua. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ↑ "LM-3B". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ↑ de Selding, Peter B. (19 November 2009). "Burn-through Blamed in China Long March Mishap". SpaceNews. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
External links
- LM-3B User's Manual at GlobalSecurity.org
- Long March-3B (LM-3B) at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||