Long March 3

Quick Facts About the Long March 3:

- Type: Expendable orbital carrier rocket .

- Origin : China.

- In service : 29 January 1984 - 25 June 2000

- Mass : 204,000 kilograms (450,000 lb).

- Length/Height : 43.25 metres (141.9 ft).

- Diameter : 3.35 metres (11.0 ft).

- Payload to LEO : 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb).

- Payload to GTO : 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb).

- Propellant: First/Second stage: N2O4 / UDMH. Third Stage: LH2 / LOX

- Engines: First stage: 4 YF-21B with thrust of 2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf), Second stage: 1 YF-24D(Main) 4 x YF-23F (Vernier) with thrust of 741.4 kN (166,700 lbf) (Main) 47.1 kN (10,600 lbf) (Vernier), Third stage: 1 YF-73 with thrust of 44.43 kN (9,990 lbf).

The Long March 3's were all launched from Launch Area 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. It was a three-stage rocket, and was mostly used to place DFH-2-class communications satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbits. It was complemented and later replaced by the more powerful Long March 3A, which has an improved third stage.