Long March 4A

Rendering of Long March 4A
FunctionCarrier rocket
ManufacturerCALT
Country of originChina
Size
Height41.9 metres (137 ft)[1]
Diameter3.35 metres (11.0 ft)[1]
Mass249,000 kilograms (549,000 lb)[1]
Stages3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass4,000 kilograms (8,800 lb)[2]
Payload to SSO
Mass1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb)[2]
Associated rockets
FamilyLong March
Derivative workLong March 4B
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesLA-7, TSLC
Total launches2
Success(es)2
First flight6 September 1988
Last flight3 September 1990

The Long March 4A (Chinese: 长征四号甲火箭), also known as the Changzheng 4A, CZ-4A and LM-4A, sometimes misidentified as the Long March 4 due to the lack of any such designated rocket, was a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. It was launched from Launch Area 7 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. It was a three-stage rocket, used for two launches in 1988 and 1990. On its maiden flight, on 6 September 1988, it placed the FY-1A weather satellite into orbit. On its second, and final, flight it launched another weather satellite, FY-1B.

A month after the launch of FY-1B, the third-stage of the CZ-4A launch vehicle exploded in a 895 x 880 km orbit, creating more than 100 pieces of space debris.[3] This incident led to a redesign of the rocket to include a residual propellant venting system. A venting system was not included in the 4A because of the concern that it would damage the satellite.

It was replaced by a derivative, the Long March 4B, which first flew in 1999. The Long March 4B offers a more powerful third stage, and a larger payload fairing.

List of launches

[edit]
Flight No. Date (UTC) Launch site Payload Orbit Result
1 September 6, 1988
20:30
LA-7, TSLC Fengyun 1A SSO Success
2 September 3, 1990
00:53
LA-7, TSLC Fengyun 1B SSO Success

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Mark Wade. "CZ-4A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  2. ^ a b Gunter Krebs. "CZ-4 (Chang Zheng-4)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  3. ^ History of On-orbit Satellite Fragmentations (PDF) (Report) (16th ed.). NASA Orbital Debris Program Office. 2008. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-07-22.