Engineering:Long March 8

Short description: Chinese orbital launch vehicle

Long March 8

Rendering of Long March 8 Y1
Function	Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
Country of origin	China
Size
Height	Standard: 50.34 m (165.2 ft) Core only: 48 m (157 ft)
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Mass	Standard: 356,000 kg (785,000 lb) Core only: 198,000 kg (437,000 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to SSO 700 km	Standard: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) Core only: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb)
Payload to LEO	8,100 kg (17,900 lb)
Payload to GTO	2,800 kg (6,200 lb)
Associated rockets
Comparable	Soyuz-2 Antares Falcon 9 (RTLS reusable) Ariane 6 H3
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Wenchang, LC-2 Jiuquan
Total launches	2
Successes	2
First flight	22 December 2020
Last flight	27 February 2022
Boosters (Standard) – K2 booster
No. boosters	2 or 0
Length	26.903 m (88.26 ft)
Diameter	2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Engines	1 YF-100
Thrust	Sea level: 1,200 kN (270,000 lbf) Vacuum: 1,340 kN (300,000 lbf)
Total thrust	Sea level: 4,800 kN (1,100,000 lbf) Vacuum: 5,360 kN (1,200,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	Sea level: 300 s (2.9 km/s) Vacuum: 335 s (3.29 km/s)
Fuel	RP-1 / LOX
First stage – K3 core module
Length	25.083 m (82.29 ft)
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Engines	2 YF-100
Thrust	Sea level: 2,400 kN (540,000 lbf) Vacuum: 2,680 kN (600,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	Sea level: 300 s (2.9 km/s) Vacuum: 335 s (3.29 km/s)
Fuel	RP-1 / LOX
Second stage
Length	12.375 m (40.60 ft)
Diameter	3.0 m (9.8 ft)
Engines	2 YF-75
Thrust	167.17 kN (37,580 lbf)
Specific impulse	438 s (4.30 km/s)
Fuel	LH2 / LOX

Long March 8 (Chinese: 长征八号运载火箭) is an orbital launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology to launch up to 5000 kg to a 700 km altitude Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The rocket is based on the Long March 7 with its first stage and two boosters, along with the existing liquid hydrogen burning third stage of the Long March 3A/3B/3C and 7A as its second stage. The boosters are omitted in the "core only" variant that first flew on its second launch in February 2022.

A planned future launch vehicle variant of the Long March 8 will be partially reusable by featuring a combined booster recovery of the first stage and the boosters as a single unit.

The maiden flight of the Long March 8 was launched on 22 December 2020 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site.

List of launches

Flight number	Date (UTC)	Variant	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Outcome
1	22 December 2020 04:37	Standard	Wenchang, LC-2	Xinjishu Yanzheng 7 (XJY-7) Haisi-1 Tianqi Xingzuo 08 (Ping'an-1) Yuanguang-1 ET-SMART-RSS (Zhixing-1A)	SSO	Success
2	27 February 2022 03:06	Core only	Wenchang, LC-2	Dayun (Xingshidai-17) Hainan-1 01, 02 Jilin-1 Gaofen-03D 10–18 Jilin-1 Mofang-02A 01 Qimingxing-1 Taijing-3 01 Taijing-4 01 Tianxian-1 (Chaohu-1) Chuangxing Leishen Wenchang-1 01, 02 XD-1 Tianqi-19	SSO	Success
3	18 March 2024	Standard	Wenchang, LC-2	Queqiao-2 Tiandu-1, 2	Selenocentric	Planned

See also

• Long March 9
• Comparison of orbital launchers families
• Comparison of orbital launch systems
• Expendable launch system
• Lists of rockets