35 years and 100 trips to space! Why was Long March 4 shortlisted for the China Rocket "Hundred Launch Club"? Series | Fengyun | Orbit | Satellite | China | Launch Vehicle | Launch | Long March 4
In the 35 years from 1988 to 2023, the Long March 4 series of launch vehicles went into space 100 times, becoming the second type of launch vehicle in China to exceed 100 times after the Long March 3A series.
On August 3rd, the Long March 4C carrier rocket carrying the Fengyun-3-06 satellite was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, marking the 100th journey.
The "Three Members" of the Long March Fourth
The Long March 4 series of carrier rockets have been nominated for the China Rocket "Hundred Launch Club" due to their strength. As one of the main active launch vehicles in China, the Long March 4 series of launch vehicles includes three models: Long March 4A, Long March 4B, and Long March 4C. They made their first successful flight on September 7, 1988, May 10, 1999, and April 27, 2006, respectively.
As of now, Long March 4A has carried out 2 launch missions, Long March 4B has carried out 48 launch missions, and Long March 4C has carried out 50 launch missions.
The inexplicable bond with Fengyun Satellite
This time, the Long March 4 spacecraft joined forces with the Fengyun 3 06 satellite to attend a hundred banquets. In fact, the Fengyun satellite is its old partner. Not only the 100th time, but also the first time the Long March 4 spacecraft went into space, it was also with the Fengyun satellite.
That was September 7, 1988, when the Long March 4A carrier rocket made its first flight at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, successfully launching China's first polar orbit meteorological satellite, Fengyun-1A, making China the third country in the world to independently launch solar synchronous orbit satellites and polar orbit satellites.
According to statistics, the Long March 4 has successfully launched four Fengyun-1 satellites and seven Fengyun-3 satellites.
35 years from "Arrow General" to "Strong General"
From 1988 to present, for 35 years, the Long March Fourth has experienced numerous battles and continued to grow. At the beginning, it only undertook the launch of polar orbit meteorological satellites, but now it can carry out the launch of various types of satellites such as earth observation, scientific experiments, and lunar relay communication; It has evolved from a single sun synchronous orbit mission to support launch in a wide range of inclination angles and multiple types of orbits, including inclined circular orbits, elliptical orbits, Earth Moon transfer orbits, and Earth synchronous transfer orbits; It has evolved from "one arrow, one star" to "one arrow, multiple stars, both in series and parallel"; It has evolved from being launched during specific time periods to being launched all day, all weather, and so on. During this process, the Long March 4 greatly adapted to the launch needs of various satellites, gradually growing from an "arrow general" to an outstanding "athlete" among China's active rockets.
The Long March Fourth is still breaking through on the international stage. For example, the Long March 4B carrier rocket pioneered the final stage propellant emission technology, and its development team led the development of international standards for reducing space debris in the orbital stage of the carrier rocket, effectively enhancing China's influence and voice on the international space stage.
The Long March Fourth is still one of the witnesses of South South cooperation. From the launch of the "Resource 1" 01 satellite in 1999 to the launch of the "Resource 1" 04A satellite in 2019, the China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite jointly operated by China and Brazil was launched by the "Long March 4".
