Engineering:Long March 4A

Short description: Chinese orbital carrier rocket

Long March 4A

Rendering of Long March 4A
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
Country of origin	China
Size
Height	41.9 metres (137 ft)
Diameter	3.35 metres (11.0 ft)
Mass	249,000 kilograms (549,000 lb)
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO	4,000 kilograms (8,800 lb)
Payload to SSO	1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Derivatives	Long March 4B
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	LA-7, TSLC
Total launches	2
Successes	2
First flight	6 September 1988
Last flight	3 September 1990

The Long March 4A (Chinese: 长征四号甲火箭), also known as the Changzheng 4A, CZ-4A and LM-4A, sometimes misidentified as the Long March 4 due to the lack of any such designated rocket, was a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. It was launched from Launch Area 7 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. It was a three-stage rocket, used for two launches in 1988 and 1990. On its maiden flight, on 6 September 1988, it placed the FY-1A weather satellite into orbit. On its second, and final, flight it launched another weather satellite, FY-1B.

A month after the launch of FY-1B, the third-stage of the CZ-4A launch vehicle exploded in a 895 x 880 km orbit, creating more than 100 pieces of space debris. This incident led to a redesign of the rocket to include a residual propellant venting system. A venting system was not included in the 4A because of the concern that it would damage the satellite.

It was replaced by a derivative, the Long March 4B, which first flew in 1999. The Long March 4B offers a more powerful third stage, and a larger payload fairing.

List of launches

Main article: Engineering:List of Long March launches

Flight No.	Date (UTC)	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Result
1	September 6, 1988 20:30	LA-7, TSLC	Fengyun 1A	SSO	Success
2	September 3, 1990 00:53	LA-7, TSLC	Fengyun 1B	SSO	Success