Long March 6A

Long March 6A
	Rendering of Long March 6A
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology
Country of origin	China
Size
Height	50 m (160 ft); 52 m (171 ft) with extended fairing
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Mass	530,000 kg (1,170,000 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)
Payload to 700 km (430 mi) SSO
Mass	4,500 kg (9,900 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Comparable	Antares; Soyuz-2
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Taiyuan, LA-9A
Total launches	9
Success(es)	9
First flight	29 March 2022
Last flight	5 December 2024
Boosters – FG-112
No. boosters	4
Height	15.1 m (50 ft)
Diameter	2.0 m (6 ft 7 in)
Maximum thrust	1,214 kN (273,000 lbf)
Total thrust	4,828 kN (1,085,000 lbf)
Propellant	solid
First stage
Height	30.5 m (100 ft)
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Powered by	2 × YF-100
Maximum thrust	2,376 kN (534,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	SL: 300 s (2.9 km/s); vac: 335 s (3.29 km/s);
Propellant	RP-1/LOX
Second stage
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Powered by	1 × YF-115
Maximum thrust	180 kN (40,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	vac: 341.5 s (3.349 km/s)
Propellant	RP-1/LOX
	[edit on Wikidata]

The Long March 6A (Chinese: 长征六号甲运载火箭) or Chang Zheng 6A as in pinyin, abbreviated LM 6A for export or CZ 6A within China, is a Chinese medium-lift launch vehicle in 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 vehicle is a further development of the Long March 6, with two YF-100 engines on the first stage as opposed to one on the Long March 6, augmented by four solid rocket boosters. The Long March 6A is China's first rocket with solid rocket boosters. There also exists a shorter boosterless variant of the 6A called the Long March 6C.

The maiden launch of the Long March 6A took place on March 29, 2022, successfully reaching orbit.^[6] It was also the first launch from the newly built launch complex 9A in Taiyuan.

Launch statistics

5

2022

2023

2024

2025

Failure
Partial failure
Success
Planned

List of launches

Flight number	Serial number	Date (UTC)	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Result
1	Y1	29 March 2022 09:50^[6]	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Pujiang-2 Tiankun-2	SSO	Success
2	Y2	11 November 2022 22:52	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Yunhai-3 01	SSO	Success
3	Y5	10 September 2023 04:30	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Yaogan 40A Yaogan 40B Yaogan 40C	LEO	Success
4	Y4	31 October 2023 22:50	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Tianhui 5A Tianhui 5B	SSO	Success
5	Y3	26 March 2024 22:51	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Yunhai-3 02	SSO	Success
6	Y7	4 July 2024 22:49	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Tianhui 5C Tianhui 5D	SSO	Success
7	Y21	6 August 2024 06:42	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 01)	Polar	Success
8	Y20	15 October 2024 11:06	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 02)	Polar	Success
9	Y22	5 December 2024 04:41	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 03)	Polar	Success
10	Y?	January 2025	Taiyuan, LA-9A	Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 05)	Polar	Planned

Mishaps

After the release of the Yunhai 3 following the Y2 launch of 11 November 2022, the Long March 6's upper stage broke up into more than 50 pieces of debris, which expanded to more than 781 pieces. The vehicle was supposed to re-enter in one piece and then burn up. ^[7]^[8] Following the November 2022 breakup, similar events were observed after the 26 March 2024, 4 July 2024, and 6 August 2024 launches. The reason for the break ups are unclear, but may be related to upper stage passivation or insulation.^[9]^[10]