Launch Vehicle
Long March 2C
风之清扬, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
- Developer
- China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
- First Launch
- September 9, 1982
- Status
- Active
- Payload to LEO
- 3,850 kg
- Payload to GTO
- 1,250 kg (2C/SM configuration)
- Payload to Escape
- N/A — not a lunar/interplanetary launcher
- Total Launches
- 87 as of March 27, 2026
- Success Rate
- ~98% (85 successes, 1 failure, 1 partial failure)
The Long March 2C is one of China’s longest-serving rockets, flying since 1982. Built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and derived from the DF-5 intercontinental ballistic missile, it is a two-stage, medium-lift rocket that burns storable propellants (nitrogen tetroxide and UDMH). It stands 42 meters tall and 3.35 meters wide.
Part of the wider Long March 2 series, the 2C has served as a reliable workhorse for Earth-observation, science and technology satellites, launching from Jiuquan, Taiyuan and Xichang. Optional upper stages extend its reach — including the restartable Yuanzheng-1S, which sent the DRO-A and DRO-B satellites toward the Moon in 2024 before malfunctioning, leaving the satellites to complete the journey under their own power.
Variants
Standard 2-stage; 2C/SD (smart dispenser for two satellites); 2C/SM (small satellites to high orbits); 2C/SMA (improved SM); 2C/YZ-1S (Yuanzheng-1S restartable upper stage)
Notable Missions
Derived from the DF-5 ICBM. Launched China’s early recoverable FSW satellites. Flew seven commercial Iridium launches for Motorola (1997–1999). Launched ESA-China Double Star (2003–2004), Einstein Probe (2024) and China-France SVOM (2024). Grid fins added in 2019 to steer falling stages away from populated areas. Its one lunar attempt, DRO-A/B (2024), was a partial failure when the YZ-1S upper stage malfunctioned.
Beyond LEO Missions
1 mission tracked
Active 1
DRO-A and DRO-B Missions: The Satellites China Rescued from a Failed Launch
Long March 2C / Yuanzheng-1S upper stage