The Long March 2 (Chang Zheng-2, or CZ-2) family of space launch vehicles was developed from China’s Dong Feng-5 (DF-5, CSS-4) ICBM introduced in the 1970s. The launch vehicle also formed the basis on which the Long March 3 and 4 families were developed. All three launch vehicle families share the same airframe and engine design, with different upper stages and onboard systems.
Continue reading Long March 2: a review of its designCategory: Long March 2
Long March 2 Chronology (Part 6): The divine arrow
Despite being unsuccessful as a commercial endeavour, the Long March 2E continued its service life in its man-rated version, the Long March 2F, which has been exclusively used for China’s human spaceflight missions since 1999.
Continue reading Long March 2 Chronology (Part 6): The divine arrowLong March 2 Chronology (Part 5): The remote cousin from Shanghai
The Chinese military began to develop a more advanced recoverable reconnaissance satellite FSW-2 (Jian Bing 1B) in the late 1980s. The new satellite had an increased mass of 2,600 kg, exceeding the maximal payload capacity of the Long March 2C.
Continue reading Long March 2 Chronology (Part 5): The remote cousin from ShanghaiLong March 2 Chronology (Part 4): Heavy-lifter to GEO
In October 1985, the Chinese Ministry of Astronautics revealed its ambition to enter the international commercial space market, by offering foreign customers the service to launch their geostationary communications satellites using Long March launch vehicles.
Continue reading Long March 2 Chronology (Part 4): Heavy-lifter to GEOLong March 2
The Long March 2 (Chang Zheng 2, or CZ-2) is the longest-serving space launch vehicle family in China, responsible for sending the country’s first recoverable satellite and the first human spaceflight mission to orbit.
Continue reading Long March 2