CASC · Operational · cn · Launch Vehicle
Long March 3B
China's primary GTO workhorse; 13 launches in 2025, then a January 2026 failure before returning to flight in June.
Verified 2026-09-24 · First flight 1996-02-14
Systems cutaway
Specs & Metrics
- Payload to LEO ↑ better
- 11,500 kg
- Maximum payload mass deliverable to low Earth orbit (~200–400 km circular), in the vehicle's stated reference configuration.
- Payload to GTO ↑ better
- 5,500 kg
- 3B/E enhanced variant; standard 3B ~5,100 kg
- Maximum payload mass deliverable to geostationary transfer orbit (~185 × 35,786 km), in the stated reference config.
- Liftoff Thrust ↑ better
- 5922 kN
- core 2,962 kN + 4× booster 740 kN each
- Total first-stage thrust at liftoff (sea-level), in kilonewtons, summing all active engines and solid strap-ons.
- Vehicle Height ↓ better
- 54.8 m
- Full stack height at liftoff, in metres, including fairing or spacecraft.
- Mission Success Rate ↑ better
- 95.7%
- 112 successes, 5 failures per RocketLaunch.org (read 2026-09-24)
- Percentage of launch attempts rated as full mission successes over the vehicle's complete flight history.
- Launches in 2025 ↑ better
- 13
- Long March 3B/E flights, Jan 6 to Dec 26, 2025; the 3C is counted separately
- Total number of launch attempts conducted in calendar year 2025 (Jan 1 – Dec 31 UTC).
Subsystems
Program roadmap
- achieved
Return to flight (Shijian-31) after the January 2026 Shijian-32 launch failure
2026-06-16↗