Function Small carrier rocket Country of origin China Diameter 3.35 m (11.0 ft) | Manufacturer SAST Height 29 m (95 ft) | |
Mass 103,000 kg (227,000 lb) | ||
The Long March 6 (Chinese: 长征六号运载火箭) or Chang Zheng 6 as in pinyin, abbreviated LM-6 for export or CZ-6 within China, is a Chinese liquid-fuelled carrier rocket, 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 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) 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 1,340 kilonewtons or 300,000 pounds-force of thrust from burning kerosene and LOX as rocket fuel and oxidiser.
A boosted variant, with a payload of 4 tons to sun-synchronous orbit, is under development.