ChangZheng 6 (Long March 6) Launch Vehicle

ChangZheng 6 (CZ-6, or Long March -6 in its translation) is a liquid-propellant, small-load space launch vehicle (SLV) currently developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). The launch vehicle is based on the 2.25m-diameter core stage, which has been developed as a strap-on booster for the CZ-5 family of SLV. The core stage consists of a 120t-thrust YF-100 engine that burns oxygen and kerosene (LOX/Kerosene) propellant, which causes less pollution compared to the UDMH/N2O4 (nitrogen tetroxide) propellant currently in use.

The ChangZheng 6 is designed for small-load launch missions, with a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) capability of 500kg. The first launch of ChangZheng 6 is scheduled in 2010.

Last update: 20 February 2009