How powerful are the Long March 4 series launch vehicles?, Joining the "Baifa Club" model | carrier rocket | Baifa Club

At 11:47 am on August 3rd, the Long March 4C carrier rocket was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending the Fengyun-3F satellite into its designated orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success. This is the 100th successful launch of the Long March 4 series carrier rocket, and also the second type of carrier rocket in China to successfully enter the "Hundred Launch Club" after the Long March 3A series carrier rocket.

Highly skilled and adaptable to various satellite launch needs

The Long March 4 series carrier rocket is a three-stage ambient temperature liquid rocket developed by the Eighth Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, including the Long March 4A, B, and C types. Among them, the Long March-4A carrier rocket retired with honor after completing two launch missions. The improved and developed Long March-4B and C are in service, launching 48 and 50 rounds respectively. They are currently the main carrier rockets for medium and large loads in China's solar synchronous orbit.

"The 100th launch of the Long March 4 carrier rocket is the 100th launch of the first series of rockets by the Eighth Academy of Sciences. This is a breakthrough in history, an inevitability of history, and a starting point of history," said Sun Gang, the president of the Eighth Academy of Sciences.

In the 100 launch missions, the Long March IV series carrier rockets successively put 170 satellites into the scheduled orbit, including Fengyun, resources, remote sensing, practice, experiment, high score, environment, ocean, land exploration series satellites, as well as Chang'e-4 relay satellite "Queqiao", which strongly supported the construction of "meteorological power", "maritime power", "dual carbon strategy" and "the Belt and Road", created a model of "South South cooperation", and helped to realize the world's first lunar backside landing exploration mission.

With the continuous innovation and progress of technology, the capabilities of the Long March 4 series of carrier rockets are becoming increasingly strong. From initially only being able to undertake polar orbit meteorological satellite launches, to now being able to carry out various types of satellite launches such as Earth observation, scientific experiments, and lunar relay communication; From one arrow and one star to one arrow and multiple stars in series and parallel; It can be launched from a specific time period to all day and all weather conditions; From Taiyuan to Jiuquan and then to Xichang, achieving full adaptation and coverage of all inland satellite launch centers; From a single sun synchronous orbit mission to currently supporting wide inclination range and multiple orbit types such as inclined circular orbit, elliptical orbit, Earth Moon transfer orbit, and Earth synchronous transfer orbit, it greatly adapts to various satellite launch needs.

Pioneering and innovating is the eternal theme

The development history of the Long March 4 series of launch vehicles is a microcosm of the technological innovation history of China's launch vehicles. Since its successful maiden flight in 1998, the improvement and innovation of the Long March 4 series of carrier rockets have never stopped. Generation after generation of "Chang Si people" from the Eighth Academy have paved the way for technological innovation and built bridges in the face of challenges. With their pioneering spirit, they have engraved the coordinates of China's carrier rocket technology leap time and time again.

On September 7, 1988, the first rocket of the Long March 4 series of carrier rockets, the Long March 4-A Yao-1 carrier rocket, successfully launched its first meteorological satellite, Fengyun-1, into its designated orbit, setting a record for the first successful launch of a large carrier rocket in China and making China the third country in the world to independently launch satellites in both solar synchronous and polar orbits. The newly developed first stage YF-21B engine of the Long March 4A carrier rocket became the most powerful engine in China at that time, and has continued to be the universal first stage engine of the Long March family to this day.

The Chang-4B rocket pioneered the final stage propellant emission technology and led the development of international standards for reducing space debris in the orbital stage of launch vehicles, effectively enhancing China's influence and voice on the international space stage; The implementation of integrated long-distance testing and launch control for the first time in China has elevated the testing and launch technology of our country's launch vehicles to a new level.

Faced with the "heavy weight" of China's first microwave remote sensing satellite, Long March 4C pioneered the secondary starting technology of a three-stage engine at room temperature, greatly improving rocket performance.

The Long March 4 series of carrier rockets also achieved the first domestic multi satellite series launch, and the single rocket multi satellite launch technology reached the international advanced level; For the first time in China, grid rudder reuse flight has been achieved, and the landing area control technology has been promoted to reusable rockets and other rocket models; For the first time, the flight verification of the final stage orbit retention application platform has been completed, providing a low-cost shared platform for domestic components and new technology testing.

Over the past 35 years, exploration and innovation have been the eternal theme of the Long March 4 series of launch vehicles. Behind each record, it highlights the solid steps taken by China's aerospace industry in the process of high-quality development.

Forging an "Iron Army" of Carrier Rockets

In the 35 year journey of "Hundred Expeditions", generations of "Chang Si" from the Eighth Academy have continued to inherit the spirit of aerospace through practical actions. Under the leadership of older generations of aerospace professionals such as Shi Jinmiao, Sun Jingliang, and Li Xiangrong, they have forged a resilient, pragmatic, united, and enterprising "carrier iron army".

In the development process of the Long March 4A carrier rocket, the first chief designer of the model, Sun Jingliang, often said, "To carry out aerospace work, we must be strict, meticulous, and cautious." He demanded that the development personnel "be meticulous in handling quality issues and meticulous in handling them.". At the beginning of its development, the Long March 4A carrier rocket established a work concept of "reliable design, strict production, and sufficient testing". The Long March 4A carrier rocket was successfully succeeded in 1988 and 1990, laying a solid foundation for the development of subsequent models.

Following the fine tradition, Li Xiangrong, the commander-in-chief and chief designer of the Long March-4 carrier rocket, led the model to continuously promote technological innovation and fine management, and successively achieved the first successful flight of the Long March-4B and Long March-4C rockets.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Long March 4 series of carrier rockets have been launched 61 times. In order to cope with the normalization of high-density launch and high-intensity development, the model commander and chief designer represented by Weng Weiliang, Fan Hongturan, Cang Biao, and Wang Yijun led the Long March 4 team to continuously innovate and strive for efficiency, strong production and quality assurance in management. They actively implemented the transformation and upgrading of scientific research and production management models, and fully achieved the established goals of "de modeling" and "de tasking".

Over the past 35 years, as the "root" of the carrier rockets of the Eighth Academy of Sciences, the Long March IV series of carrier rockets have cultivated a number of outstanding leaders, and more than ten model worker at provincial and municipal levels and special government subsidies granted by the State Council have emerged. Generation after generation of model experts and skilled craftsmen have stood out, laying a solid talent foundation for promoting the vigorous development of the transportation industry in the Eighth Academy.