NEWS
Long March 5B Successfully Launches
发布时间：
2024-12-24 13:37
At 18:00 on December 16, 2024, the Long March 5B Yao-6 launch vehicle was successfully launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province, successfully deploying the first group of low Earth orbit satellites for a satellite internet constellation into the destination orbits with a Yuanzheng-2 (Expedition-2) upper stage atop the rocket, signaling a complete success of the launch mission.
As the most powerful launch vehicle in China’s active Long March series, the Long March 5B features a core stage with a diameter of 5 meters, and it has four 3.35-meter boosters, a total takeoff thrust exceeding 1,000 tons, and a payload capacity of 25 tons to low Earth orbit. Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology was responsible for the development of the four 3.35-meter boosters, which provide over 90% of the rocket’s takeoff thrust and serve as the main power source for the Long March 5B’s take-off.
During the operations at the launch site, the test team of Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology promoted digital work with great effort and refined the entire process, developing a checklist of operational elements for confirmation. They integrated these elements with the LDM system (Launch Vehicle and Launch Area Digital Management System), achieving more timely data collection and efficient data use while effectively implementing the management requirements for precise confirmation, which ensured the mission’s success.
The test team conducted closed-book exams for operational and inspection elements for the first time, ensuring that tasks and inspection points were properly assigned to the relevant personnel, and that the practical operations were done “right the first time and to the highest standard”. The team continuously improved the launch site workflow by reducing and consolidating post-installation confirmation tasks for the servo mechanism, which significantly minimized the number of personnel entering the module and reduced associated risks. They also advanced the removal of engine protection fixtures from the vertical launch stage to the horizontal parking stage, making the disassembly process more efficient and reliable.
This launch marks the 13th launch of the Long March 5 series of launch vehicles and the 552nd launch of the Long March series of launch vehicles in China.
