Long March 3A

	Rendering of Long March 3A
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
Country of origin	China
Cost per launch	US$70 million
Size
Height	52.52 metres (172.3 ft)
Diameter	3.35 metres (11.0 ft)
Mass	241,000 kilograms (531,000 lb)
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	8,500 kilograms (18,700 lb)
Payload to GTO
Mass	2,600 kilograms (5,700 lb)
Payload to HCO
Mass	1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Derivative work	Long March 3B; Long March 3C
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	LA-2 & LA-3, XSLC
Total launches	27
Success(es)	27
First flight	8 February 1994
Last flight	9 July 2018
First stage
Height	23.272 m
Diameter	3.35 m
Propellant mass	171,800 kg (378,800 lb)
Powered by	4 YF-21C
Maximum thrust	2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf)
Specific impulse	2,556.5 m/s (260.69 s)
Burn time	148 s
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
Second stage
Height	11.276 m
Diameter	3.35 m
Propellant mass	32,600 kg (71,900 lb)
Powered by	1 YF-24E; (1 x YF-22E (Main)); (4 x YF-23C (Vernier))
Maximum 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	115 s
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
Third stage
Height	12.375 m
Diameter	3.0 m
Propellant mass	18,200 kg (40,100 lb)
Powered by	2 YF-75
Maximum thrust	167.17 kN (37,580 lbf)
Specific impulse	4,295 m/s (438.0 s)
Burn time	475 s
Propellant	LH2 / LOX
	[edit on Wikidata]

The Long March 3A (Chinese: 长征三号甲火箭), also known as the Chang Zheng 3A, CZ-3A and LM-3A, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March family^[7] of expendable rockets. A three-stage rocket, it was usually used to place communications satellites and Beidou navigation satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit. It was manufactured by the Great Wall Industry Corporation.^[8]

History and specifications

The Long March 3A is the first variant of the Long March 3.^[9] The first stage was lengthened from 20.219 metres (66.34 ft) to 23.075 metres (75.71 ft), and the third stage was enlarged and redesigned to accommodate two YF-75 rocket engines, whereas its predecessor had a single YF-73; this gave it the capability to lift 2.3 tonnes (2.5 tons) into geosynchronous orbit, compared to the Long March 3's 1.4 tonnes (1.5 tons).^[9] A new computer system was also installed.^[9]

The first and second stages used hypergolic propellants (unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide), while the third used cryogenic fuel (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen).^[7]

Its achievements include powering the first two BeiDou navigation satellites into orbit (Beidou 1A on 30 October 2000^[10] and Beidou 1B on 20 December^[11]), as well as China's first Moon probe, Chang'e 1, into lunar orbit in 2007.^[12]^[13]

It formed the basis of the Long March 3B, which by adding four strap-on booster rockets increased the lifting capacity to 4.8 tonnes (5.3 tons).^[9]

Launch statistics

1

2

3

4

1994

2000

2005

2010

2015

2018

Failure
Partial failure
Success
Planned

Launches

Long March 3A rockets were launched from Launch Areas 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC).^[8]

Flight number	Serial number	Date (UTC)	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Result
1	Y1	8 February 1994 08:34	LA-2, XSLC	Shijian 4	HEO	Success
2	Y2	29 November 1994 17:02	LA-2, XSLC	Dong Fang Hong 3	GTO	Success
3	Y3	11 May 1997 16:17	LA-2, XSLC	ChinaSat 6	GTO	Success
4	Y4	25 January 2000 16:45	LA-2, XSLC	ChinaSat 22	GTO	Success
5	Y5	30 October 2000 16:02	LA-2, XSLC	Beidou-1A	GTO	Success
6	Y6	20 December 2000 16:20	LA-2, XSLC	Beidou-1B	GTO	Success
7	Y7	24 May 2003 16:34	LA-2, XSLC	Beidou-1C	GTO	Success
8	Y8	14 November 2003 16:01	LA-2, XSLC	ChinaSat 20	GTO	Success
9	Y9	19 October 2004 01:20	LA-2, XSLC	Fengyun 2C	GTO	Success
10	Y10	12 September 2006 16:02	LA-2, XSLC	ChinaSat 22A	GTO	Success
11	Y11	8 December 2006 00:53	LA-2, XSLC	Fengyun 2D	GTO	Success
12	Y12	2 February 2007 16:28	LA-2, XSLC	Beidou-1D	GTO	Success
13	Y13	13 April 2007 20:11	LA-3, XSLC	Compass-M1	MEO	Success
14	Y15	31 May 2007 16:08	LA-3, XSLC	SinoSat 3	GTO	Success
15	Y14	24 October 2007 10:05	LA-3, XSLC	Chang'e 1	LTO	Success
16	Y20	23 December 2008 00:54	LA-3, XSLC	Fengyun 2E	GTO	Success
17	Y16	31 July 2010 21:30	LA-3, XSLC	Compass-IGSO1	GTO	Success
18	Y21	24 November 2010 16:09	LA-3, XSLC	ChinaSat 20A	GTO	Success
19	Y18	17 December 2010 20:20	LA-3, XSLC	Compass-IGSO2	GTO	Success
20	Y19	9 April 2011 20:47	LA-3, XSLC	Compass-IGSO3	GTO	Success
21	Y17	26 July 2011 21:44	LA-3, XSLC	Compass-IGSO4	GTO	Success
22	Y23	1 December 2011 21:07	LA-3, XSLC	Compass-IGSO5	GTO	Success
23	Y22	13 January 2012 00:56	LA-3, XSLC	Fengyun 2F	GTO	Success
24	Y24	31 December 2014 01:02	LA-2, XSLC	Fengyun 2G	GTO	Success
25	Y26	29 March 2016 20:11	LA-2, XSLC	Compass-IGSO6	GTO	Success
26	Y25	5 June 2018 13:07	LA-2, XSLC	Fengyun 2H	GTO	Success
27	Y27	9 July 2018 20:58	LA-2, XSLC	Compass-IGSO7	GTO	Success

References

↑ "Surplus Missile Motors: Sale Price Drives Potential Effects on DOD and Commercial Launch Providers". Government Accountability Office. 16 August 2017.
1 2 3 Wade, Mark. "CZ-3A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
1 2 3 "LM-3A Series Launch Vehicle User's Manual - Issue 2011" (PDF). China Great Wall Industries Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
1 2 Krebs, Gunter. "CZ-3A (Chang Zheng-3A)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
1 2 3 4 "LM-3A". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
↑ "Long March 3C/E - Rockets". Spaceflight101.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
1 2 Kumar, Sanjay (8 May 2018). India China Space Capability: A Comparison. Vij Books India. ISBN 978-9386457448. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
1 2 Greenberg, Joel S.; Hertzfeld, Henry R., eds. (1992). Space Economics. Washington, DC: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 268. ISSN 0079-6050. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
1 2 3 4 Harvey, Brian (2004). China's Space Program — From Conception to Manned Spaceflight. Springer Praxis. pp. 221–222. ISBN 1-85233-566-1. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
↑ "Beidou 1A". NASA. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
↑ "Beidou 1B". NASA. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
↑ "Chang'e 1". NASA. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
↑ Harvey, Brian. China in Space: The Great Leap Forward. Springer Praxis. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-4614-5042-9. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

External links

LM-3A User's Manual (downloadable)

[1] "Surplus Missile Motors: Sale Price Drives Potential Effects on DOD and Commercial Launch Providers". Government Accountability Office. 16 August 2017.

[EA-2] 1 2 3 Wade, Mark. "CZ-3A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2010.

[CGWIC_User_Manual-3] 1 2 3 "LM-3A Series Launch Vehicle User's Manual - Issue 2011" (PDF). China Great Wall Industries Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2015.

[GSP-4] 1 2 Krebs, Gunter. "CZ-3A (Chang Zheng-3A)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 April 2008.

[CGWIC-5] 1 2 3 4 "LM-3A". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2010.

[Long_March_3_Series-6] "Long March 3C/E - Rockets". Spaceflight101.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016.

[Kumar-7] 1 2 Kumar, Sanjay (8 May 2018). India China Space Capability: A Comparison. Vij Books India. ISBN 978-9386457448. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

[Greenberg-8] 1 2 Greenberg, Joel S.; Hertzfeld, Henry R., eds. (1992). Space Economics. Washington, DC: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 268. ISSN 0079-6050. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

[Harvey-9] 1 2 3 4 Harvey, Brian (2004). China's Space Program — From Conception to Manned Spaceflight. Springer Praxis. pp. 221–222. ISBN 1-85233-566-1. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

[10] "Beidou 1A". NASA. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

[11] "Beidou 1B". NASA. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

[12] "Chang'e 1". NASA. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

[13] Harvey, Brian. China in Space: The Great Leap Forward. Springer Praxis. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-4614-5042-9. Retrieved 14 July 2025.

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v t e Long March (rocket family)
Rockets	Feng Bao 1 Long March 1 1D Long March 2 2A 2C 2D 2E 2F Long March 3 3A 3B 3B/E 3C Long March 4 4A 4B 4C Long March 5 5B Long March 6 6A 6C Long March 7 7A Long March 8 8A Long March 9 Long March 10 10B Long March 11 11H Long March 12 12A 12B
Launch sites	Jiuquan Taiyuan Wenchang Commercial Xichang
Manufacturers	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology
Designers	Wang Xiji
List of Long March launches

v t e Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Ariane 6 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S 2^† Chollima-1 Electron Eris^† Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H3 HANBIT-NANO^† Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 KAIROS^† Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica 1 2 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 6C 7 7A 8 10B 11 11H 12 12A 12B LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C New Glenn Nuri OS-M1^† Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased Shavit 2 Simorgh SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB Soyuz-5 Spectrum^† SSLV Starship Tianlong 2 3^† Unha Vega C Vulcan Centaur Zhuque 2E 3
In development	Antares 330 Bloostar Blue Whale 1 Cyclone-4M Deca Eclipse Epsilon S Gravity-2 Hyperbola-2 Kinetica 2H 3 KSLV-III Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 10A Miura 5 Neutron New Line 1 NGLV Nova OS-M 2 4 Pallas-1 RFA One SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R VLM Vega E Zero Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV IV Heavy Diamant Dnepr Energia Epsilon Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIA H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pegasus XL Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 2-1v Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 RS1^† Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard Vega original VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^† 2
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)

v t e Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
China National Space Administration Chinese space program
Missions	Chang'e 1 (Oct 2007) Chang'e 2 (Oct 2010) Chang'e 3 (Dec 2013) Yutu rover Chang'e 5-T1 (Oct 2014) Queqiao (relay satellite, May 2018) Chang'e 4 (Dec 2018) Yutu-2 rover Chang'e 5 (Nov 2020) Queqiao 2 (relay satellite, Mar 2024) Tiandu 1 and 2 Chang'e 6 (May 2024) Chang'e 7 (2026) Chang'e 8 (2028)
Launch vehicles	Long March 3A Long March 3B Long March 3C Long March 5 Long March 8
Facilities	Xichang Satellite Launch Center Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site
People	Zhang Qingwei Ouyang Ziyuan Ma Xingrui Ye Peijian
Category Commons

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