The Long March 3C (simplified Chinese: 长征三号丙火箭; traditional Chinese: 長征三號丙火箭; pinyin: Chángzhēng Sānhào Bǐng Huǒjiàn), also known as the Changzheng 3C, CZ-3C and LM-3C, is a Chinese orbital launch vehicle. It is launched from Launch Complex 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC). A three-stage rocket with two strap-on liquid rocket boosters, it is a member of the Long March 3 rocket family, and was derived from the Long March 3B. It was designed to fill a gap in payload capacities between the Long March 3A and 3B.
Launch statistics
- Failure
- Partial failure
- Success
- Planned
Launches
It made its maiden flight on 25 April 2008, at 15:35 UTC. The payload for the first launch was the Tianlian I-01 data relay communications satellite. The second carried the Compass-G2 navigation satellite and was conducted on 14 April 2009. The third launch was made on 16 January 2010, with the Compass-G1 satellite. The fourth carrying the Compass-G3 navigation satellite was launched on 2 June 2010. On 1 October 2010, it successfully launched China's second lunar probe, Chang'e 2.
An enhanced version, named Long March 3C/E, debuted during the launch of Chang'e 5-T1 on 23 October 2014. On 30 March 2015, the Yuanzheng upper stage was used on top of a Long March 3C launch vehicle for the first time.
List of launches
| Flight number | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Version | Payload | Orbit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y1 | 25 April 2008 15:35 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Tianlian I-01 | GTO | Success |
| 2 | Y3 | 14 April 2009 16:16 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G2 | GTO | Success |
| 3 | Y2 | 16 January 2010 16:12 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G1 | GTO | Success |
| 4 | Y4 | 2 June 2010 15:53 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G3 | GTO | Success |
| 5 | Y7 | 1 October 2010 10:59 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Chang'e 2 | LTO | Success |
| 6 | Y5 | 31 October 2010 16:26 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G4 | GTO | Success |
| 7 | Y8 | 11 July 2011 15:41 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Tianlian I-02 | GTO | Success |
| 8 | Y6 | 24 February 2012 16:12 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G5 | GTO | Success |
| 9 | Y9 | 25 July 2012 15:43 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Tianlian I-03 | GTO | Success |
| 10 | Y10 | 25 October 2012 15:33 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G6 | GTO | Success |
| 11 | Y12 | 23 October 2014 18:00 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Chang'e 5-T1 | LTO | Success |
| 12 | Y11 | 30 March 2015 13:52 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C / YZ-1 | BDS I1-S | GSO | Success |
| 13 | Y14 | 1 February 2016 07:29 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C / YZ-1 | BDS M3-S | MEO | Success |
| 14 | Y15 | 12 June 2016 15:30 |
XSLC, LA-3 | 3C/E | Compass-G7 | GTO | Success |
| 15 | Y13 | 22 November 2016 15:24 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Tianlian I-04 | GTO | Success |
| 16 | Y17 | 24 December 2018 16:53 |
XSLC, LA-3 | 3C/E | TJS-3 | GTO | Success |
| 17 | Y16 | 17 May 2019 15:48 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Compass-G8 | GTO | Success |
| 18 | Y18 | 6 July 2021 15:53 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Tianlian I-05 | GTO | Success |
| 19 | Y19 | 12 May 2025 18:09 |
XSLC, LA-3 | 3C/E | TJS-19 | GTO | Success |
| 20 | Y20 (YZ-1 Y18) |
5 September 2025 02:34 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E + YZ-1 | Shiyan 29 | GSO | Success |
