Long March 7
The Long March 7 (Chinese: 长征七号运载火箭), or Chang Zheng 7 in pinyin, abbreviated LM-7 for export or CZ-7 within China, originally Long March 2F/H or Chang Zheng 2F/H, nicknamed Bingjian (冰箭; 'the Ice Arrow'), is a Chinese liquid-fuelled launch vehicle of the Long March family, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CAST). It made its inaugural flight on 25 June 2016.
Long March 7 Y6 transporting to launch site | |
| Function | Medium to heavy launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | CALT |
| Country of origin | China |
| Size | |
| Height |
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| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Mass |
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| Stages |
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| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO (200 x 400 km x 42°) | |
| Mass | 13,500 kg (29,800 lb) |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) |
| Payload to TLI | |
| Mass | 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) |
| Payload to SSO | |
| Altitude | 700 km (430 mi) |
| Mass | 5,500 kg (12,100 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Long March |
| Comparable | Delta IV, Atlas V, Falcon 9 Block 5, GSLV Mk.III, H-IIA |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | Wenchang, LC-2 |
| Total launches | 14 (7:8, 7A:6) |
| Success(es) | 13 (7:8, 7A:5) |
| Failure(s) | 1 (7:0, 7A:1) |
| First flight |
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| Last flight |
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| Boosters – K2 booster | |
| No. boosters | 4 |
| Height | 27 m (89 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) |
| Powered by | 1 YF-100 |
| Maximum thrust | SL: 1,200 kN (270,000 lbf) Vac: 1,340 kN (300,000 lbf) |
| Total thrust | SL: 4,800 kN (1,100,000 lbf) Vac: 5,360 kN (1,200,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | SL: 300 s (2.9 km/s) Vac: 335 s (3.29 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| First stage – K3 core module | |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Powered by | 2 YF-100 |
| Maximum thrust | Sea level: 2,400 kN (540,000 lbf) Vacuum: 2,680 kN (600,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | Sea level: 300 s (2.9 km/s) Vacuum: 335 s (3.29 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Powered by | 4 YF-115 |
| Maximum thrust | 706 kN (159,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 342 s (3.35 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| Third stage (CZ-7A) | |
| Diameter | 3.0 m (9.8 ft) |
| Empty mass | 2,800 kg (6,200 lb) |
| Gross mass | 21,000 kg (46,000 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 18,200 kg (40,100 lb) |
| Powered by | 2 YF-75 |
| Maximum thrust | 167.17 kN (37,580 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 4,295 m/s (438.0 s) |
| Burn time | 478 seconds |
| Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Designed as a replacement of the Long March 2F, Long March 7 and its variants was expected to be the workhorse of the fleet, projected to account for around 70% of all Chinese launches. Long March 7 plays a critical role in the Chinese Space Station program: it is used to launch the Tianzhou robotic cargo and resupply spacecraft to the station. The rocket was intended to replace the Long March 2F as China's crew-rated launch vehicle in the future, although by 2023 this role has apparently been taken over by the under-development Long March 10 and Long March 10A.
Since 2020, in addition to the base Long March 7 configuration, there is the Long March 7A (CZ-7A etc.) variant which differs from the base CZ-7 by the addition of a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen third stage inherited from the third stage of the Long March 3B. The rocket has also been developed into the Long March 8.