| Long March 6A | |||||||||
| Function: | Medium-lift launch vehicle | ||||||||
| Manufacturer: | Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology | ||||||||
| Country-Origin: | China | ||||||||
| Height: | with extended fairing | ||||||||
| Stages: | 2 | ||||||||
| Capacities: |
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| Family: | Long March | ||||||||
| Comparable: | Antares Soyuz-2 | ||||||||
| Status: | Active | ||||||||
| Sites: | Taiyuan, LA-9A | ||||||||
| Launches: | 8 | ||||||||
| Success: | 8 | ||||||||
| First: | 29 March 2022 | ||||||||
| Last: | 15 October 2024 | ||||||||
| Stagedata: |
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The Long March 6A 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) [3] 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. It was also the first launch from the newly built launch complex 9A in Taiyuan.
See main article: List of Long March launches.
| Flight number | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y1 | 29 March 2022 09:50[4] | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Pujiang-2 Tiankun-2 | SSO | |
| 2 | Y2 | 11 November 2022 22:52 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Yunhai-3 01 | SSO | |
| 3 | Y5 | 10 September 2023 04:30 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Yaogan 40A Yaogan 40B Yaogan 40C | LEO | |
| 4 | Y4 | 31 October 2023 22:50 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Tianhui 5A Tianhui 5B | SSO | |
| 5 | Y3 | 26 March 2024 22:51 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Yunhai-3 02 | SSO | |
| 6 | Y7 | 4 July 2024 22:49 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Tianhui 5C Tianhui 5D | SSO | |
| 7 | Y21 | 6 August 2024 06:42 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 01) | Polar | |
| 8 | Y20 | 15 October 2024 11:06 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 02) | Polar | |
| 9 | Y? | 5 December 2024 04:45 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 03) | Polar | |
| 10 | Y? | December 2024 | Taiyuan, LA-9A | Qianfan × 18 (G60 Polar Group 04) | Polar | |
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. [5] [6] 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.[7] [8]