Long March 6
The Long March 6 or Chang Zheng 6 as in pinyin, abbreviated LM 6 for export or CZ 6 within China, is a Chinese liquid-fuelled launch vehicle of the Long March family, which was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. The rocket was developed in the 2000s, and made its maiden flight in 2015. As one of the new generation rocket family, the Long March 6 was designed to be a light capacity, "high-speed response" rocket, complementing the heavy lift Long March 5 and the mid-heavy lift Long March 7 rocket families. It is capable of placing at least of payload into a Sun-synchronous orbit. The first stage of the Long March 6 was derived from the booster rockets being developed for the Long March 5 rocket. It is powered by a YF-100 engine, which generates of thrust from burning kerosene and LOX as rocket fuel and oxidiser. This was the first flight of the new engine design.
Variants
LM 6A
An enlarged variant, the Long March 6A, which has four strap-on solid boosters, an elongated stage one, a new stage two with the same diameter as the first stage, and a payload capacity of at least 4000 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit, made its maiden flight on 29 March 2022.LM 6C
A further iteration named the Long March 6C with a slightly shorter length than the 6A and without the four strap-on solid boosters had its successful maiden launch on 7 May 2024.Launch statistics
Long March 6 only; not including 6A or 6C variants.List of launches
Long March 6 only; not including 6A or 6C variants.| Flight number | Serial number | Date | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Result |
| 1 | Y1 | 19 September 2015 23:01 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | ZDPS-2A, ZDPS-2B NS-2 ZJ-1, ZJ-2 Tiantuo 3 NUDT-Phone-Sat Xingchen 1/2/3/4 LilacSat 2 XY-2 DCBB Xiwang-2A/2B/2C/2E/2F | SSO | |
| 2 | Y2 | 21 November 2017 04:50 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Jilin 1-04/05/06 | SSO | |
| 3 | Y4 | 13 November 2019 06:35 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Ningxia-1 01 Ningxia-1 02 Ningxia-1 03 Ningxia-1 04 Ningxia-1 05 | LEO | |
| 4 | Y3 | 6 November 2020 03:19 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | ÑuSat 9-18 | SSO | |
| 5 | Y5 | 27 April 2021 03:20 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Qilu-1 Qilu-4 Foshan-1 Zhongan Guotong-1 Tianqi-9 Origin Space NEO-1 Tai King II 01 Golden Bauhinia-1 01 Golden Bauhinia-1 02 | SSO | |
| 6 | Y6 | 9 July 2021 11:59 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Zhuzhou-1 01 Zhuzhou-1 02 Zhuzhou-1 03 Zhuzhou-1 04 Zhuzhou-1 05 | LEO | |
| 7 | Y7 | 4 August 2021 11:01 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | KL-Beta A KL-Beta B | Polar | |
| 8 | Y8 | 5 November 2021 02:19 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Guangmu-1 | SSO | |
| 9 | Y10 | 10 August 2022 04:50 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Jilin-1 GF-03D09, 35-43 Yunyao-1 04–08 Tianjin Binghai-1 | SSO | |
| 10 | Y9 | 26 September 2022 23:50 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Shiyan 16A Shiyan 16B Shiyan 17 | SSO | |
| 11 | Y12 | 20 June 2023 03:18 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Shiyan 25 | SSO | |
| 12 | Y11 | 5 September 2024 18:30 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Geely Constellation Group 03 | LEO | |
| 13 | Y13 | 22 October 2024 00:10 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Tianping-3 A01 Tianping-3 B01 Tianping-3 B02 | SSO | |
| 14 | Y14 | 3 April 2025 02:12 | Taiyuan, LA-16 | Tianping-3 A02 | LEO |
Lists of launches for the related Long March 6A and Long March 6C can be found in their respective Wikipedia pages.