Long March 5

Active

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)

Nov. 3, 2016

Description

Long March 5 is a Chinese heavy lift launch system developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). CZ-5 is the first Chinese vehicle designed from the ground up to focus on non-hypergolic liquid rocket propellants. Currently, two CZ-5 vehicle configurations are planned, with maximum payload capacities of ~25,000 kilograms (55,000 lb) to LEO and ~14,000 kilograms (31,000 lb) to GTO. The Long March 5 roughly matches the capabilities of American EELV heavy-class vehicles such as the Delta IV Heavy.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    57.0 m
  • Diameter
    5.0 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    ―
  • Launch Mass
    867 T
  • Thrust
    10600 kN
Family
  • Name
    Long March 5
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    ―
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Long March 5
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    ―
  • Low Earth Orbit
    25000 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    14000 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    ―

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Government
Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei
CASC 1999

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

Upcoming Spaceflights

Long March 5 | Chang'e 7

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
TBD December, 2026
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

Chang'e 7/CE-7 is scheduled to launch in 2026, including an orbiter, a lander, a mini-hopping probe, and a rover. The mission will land in the South Pole regions of the Moon to study lunar surface environment around the South Pole, especially in looking for water ice in lunar soil.

Lunar Orbit
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Long March 5 | Chang'e 8

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
TBD December, 2029
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

Chang'e 8/CE-8 is scheduled to launch in 2028, including a lander, a rover and a legged robot. The mission will land in the South Pole regions of the Moon to study lunar surface environment around the South Pole and experimenting with resource utilization, including testing an enclosed terrestrial ecosystem in the lunar environment.

Lunar Orbit
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Previous Flights

flew on six previous launch(es).

Long March 5 | Chang'e 6

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
May 3, 2024, 9:27 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Chang'e 6/CE-6 is scheduled to launch in 2024 to return samples from the Far Side of the Moon (near southern edge of the Apollo Basin) for the first time. International science instruments from France, Italy, Sweden and Pakistan will also be on board.

Lunar Orbit
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Long March 5 | TJSW-11

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
Feb. 23, 2024, 11:30 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
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Long March 5 | Yaogan 41

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
Dec. 15, 2023, 1:41 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Chinese reconnaissance satellite explicitly named in official news as a "high orbit optical remote sensing satellite". Satellite was found in standard geostationary transfer orbit after launch; other details TBD.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
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Long March 5 | Chang'e 5

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
Nov. 23, 2020, 8:30 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Chang'e 5 is China's robotic lunar sample return mission, which is set to bring back at least 2 kg of lunar soils and rock samples. The probe will perform a soft landing on the Moon, then rendezvous and dock with the return module in lunar orbit and fly back to Earth.

Lunar Orbit
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Long March 5 | Tianwen-1 (Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover)

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
July 23, 2020, 4:41 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Tianwen-1 ("questions to heaven") Mars mission includes a Martian orbiter and a lander/rover duo. This will be China's first mission to Mars. The spacecraft will reach Mars in February 2021. Lander will remain attached to the orbiter for two to three months before attempting its landing. The chosen landing area is Utopia Planitia, a huge basin formed by a large impact far back in Mars' history. The rover is expected to be in operation for about 90 Martian sols. The Tianwen-1 orbiter will provide a relay communication link to the rover while performing its own scientific observations for one Martian year. The orbiter will operate in a polar orbit in order to map Mars' morphology and geological structure while also using the Mars-Orbiting Subsurface Exploration Radar instrument to investigate soil characteristics and water-ice distribution. It will also measure the ionosphere and the electromagnetic and gravitational fields, the new paper reported. The rover will have 13 instruments detecting things such as topography, soil, environment, atmosphere, water ice, physical field and internal structure. It will investigate the surface soil characteristics and water-ice distribution with its own Subsurface Exploration Radar. It will also analyze surface material composition and characteristics of the Martian climate and environment on the surface.

Heliocentric N/A
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Long March 5 | Shijian 20

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | China
Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
Dec. 27, 2019, 12:45 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Shijian 20 is an experimental geostationary communications satellite. This is also a return-to-flight launch for Long March 5 after a July 2017 failure.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
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Recent Launches
Long March 6A
Success
1 day, 4 hours ago
Tianhui 5 Group 02
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

A pair of satellites officially described as for cartographic surveying purposes, details TBD.

Firefly Alpha
Success
1 day, 23 hours ago
FLTA005 (Noise of Summer)
Space Launch Complex 2W - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Fifth flight of the Firefly Alpha small sat launcher, carrying eight cubesats for NASA's ELaNa 43 (Educational Launch of a Nanosatellite) mission.

Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 18 hours ago
Starlink Group 8-9
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 20 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.

H3-22
Success
5 days ago
Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4)
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2 - Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4) is a Japanese satellite designed to observe the Earth's surface using a phased array type L-band syn…

Long March 7A
Success
6 days, 15 hours ago
ChinaSat 3A
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Chinese communication geostationary satellite for unknown purposes.

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