Long March 9
Long March 9 (Chinese: 长征九号火箭, LM-9 or Changzheng 9, CZ-9) is a Chinese super-heavy carrier rocket that is currently under development. It is the ninth iteration of the Long March rocket family, named for the Chinese Red Army's 1934–35 Long March campaign during the Chinese Civil War.
Mock-up of the Long March 9 rocket at the 2022 Zhuhai Airshow | |
| Function | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| Country of origin | People's Republic of China |
| Size | |
| Height | 114 m (374 ft) |
| Diameter | 10.6 m (35 ft) |
| Mass | 4,369,000 kg (9,632,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to Low Earth orbit | |
| Mass | 150,000 kg (330,000 lb) |
| Payload to Trans-lunar injection | |
| Mass | 54,000 kg (119,000 lb) |
| Payload to Trans-martian injection | |
| Mass | 44,000 kg (97,000 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Long March (rocket family) |
| Comparable |
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| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| First stage | |
| Diameter | 10.6 m (35 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 3,420,000 kg (7,540,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 30 x 200 t |
| Maximum thrust | 60 MN (13,000,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 330 s (3.2 km/s) |
| Propellant | CH4 / LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Diameter | 10.6 m (35 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 370,000 kg (820,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 2 x 200 t |
| Maximum thrust | ~4.4 MN (990,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | ~363 s (3.56 km/s) |
| Propellant | CH4 / LOX |
| Third stage (Non-LEO version) | |
| Diameter | 10.6 m (35 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 140,000 kg (310,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 4 YF-79 |
| Maximum thrust | 1.0 MN (220,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 455.2 s (4.464 km/s) |
| Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Current plans call for the Long March 9 to have a maximum payload capacity of 150,000 kg to low Earth orbit (LEO) and 54,000 kg to trans-lunar injection. Its first flight is planned for 2033, in anticipation of an increase in cadence by China's crewed lunar missions during the 2030s. (As of 2023, the first crewed lunar landing attempt by China is expected to occur by the year 2030; this initial effort would use the under-development Long March 10 carrier rocket, the next-generation crewed spacecraft, and the Chinese crewed lunar lander.)