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| Attribute | Long March 6 (incl. 6A / 6C variants) 🇨🇳 China Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Active · Last updated 2026-07-26Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | United Launch Alliance | PLD Space | SAST (Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology) / CASC |
| Country | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇪🇸 Spain | 🇨🇳 China |
| Status | Retired | In Development | Active |
| Vehicle class | Heavy | Small | Medium |
| Propellant | LH2 / LOX | RP-1 / LOX | RP-1 / LOX (stages 1–2); N2O4/UDMH (stage 3, base variant) |
| Reusable | No | Yes | No |
| Stages | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| First flight | 2004 – 2024 | 2026 | 2015 |
| Payload to LEO | 28,370 kgas of [1] ↑ Best | 1,080 kgas of [1]540 kg to SSO. First flight is a stated plan (targeted Q1 2026 as of this research; not yet confirmed flown) — treat as a target, not a fact. | 1,080 kg to SSO (base Long March 6)as of [1]Long March 6A (4 solid boosters, elongated stage 1): at least 4,000 kg to SSO. Long March 6C: similar class without the boosters. Both variants first flew from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. |
| Payload to GTO | — | — | — |
| Height | 70.7 mas of [1] ↑ Best | 35.7 mas of [1] | 29 m (base variant)as of [1] |
| Liftoff mass | 733 tas of [1] ↑ Best | 69 tas of [1] | 103 t (base variant)as of [1] |
| Success rate | 93.75% (15/16 full success, 1 partial failure)as of [1] | — | 100% (base Long March 6, 15/15)as of [1]6A first flew 2022-03-29, 6C first flew 2024-05-07; both maintain perfect records within their own flight histories as of this date. ↑ Best |
| Total flights | 16as of [1] ↑ Best | — | 15 (base variant)as of [1] |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | — | — |
| Summary | ULA's triple-common-booster-core heavy-lift launcher, retired 2024-04-09 after its final flight; superseded by Vulcan Centaur, which ULA states offers similar heavy-lift capability at lower cost. | PLD Space's orbital small launcher with a recoverable first stage (engine thrust + parachutes), developed with ESA Future Launchers Preparatory Programme support; primary launch site is the Guiana Space Centre. | A family of medium-lift launchers from SAST serving China's growing SSO/LEO commercial and government satellite demand, with the 6A and 6C variants adding solid boosters or a simplified expendable configuration respectively. |
48 launch vehicles across 10 countries — active, retired, and in development — with primary-source citations from manufacturer user guides and agency press kits. Pure URL state: bookmark or share the link and the comparison reproduces exactly.