Long March 4A

Long March 4A

Long March 4A
Function	Carrier rocket
Manufacturer	CALT
Country of origin	People's Republic of China
Size
Height	41.9 metres (137 ft)[1]
Diameter	3.35 metres (11.0 ft)[1]
Mass	249,000 kilograms (550,000 lb)[1]
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO	4,000 kilograms (8,800 lb)[2]
Payload to SSO	1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb)[2]
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Derivatives	Long March 4B
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	LC-1, TSLC
Total launches	2
Successes	2
Maiden 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 Chang Zheng 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 Complex 1 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre. It was a 3-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.

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.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Mark Wade. "CZ-4A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/cz4a.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-27. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Gunter Krebs. "CZ-4 (Chang Zheng-4)". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/cz-4.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-27.