Long March 3B

CZ-3B

Mission Profile

The Long March 3B (CZ-3B) is a three-stage Chinese launch vehicle in the Long March 2,3,4 family, China's primary vehicle for geostationary satellite delivery featuring four liquid strap-on boosters and a cryogenic third stage. Standing 54.8 m tall with a 3.4 m core diameter and a liftoff mass of 426 tonnes, it generates 5,923 kN of liftoff thrust and can deliver 5,100 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. First flying in February 1996, the Long March 3B has been the backbone of China's commercial and government GTO missions, launching BeiDou navigation satellites, communications platforms, and Chang'e lunar missions.