Long March 3

The Long March 3B/E is 56.3 meters tall and has a fully fueled mass of 458,970 kilograms.

Since 2012, only the Long March 3B/E variant of the Long March 3B has flown because of its increased payload capacity.

The Long March 3B/E was struck by lightning in flight during ascent, and the strike did not affect the launch outcome.

The Long March 3B/E carried the China Academy of Space Technology-built Tianlian-2-06 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.

Shijian-32 was the payload on the Long March 3B mission from Xichang.

The Long March 3B mission failed to deliver Shijian-32 to its planned orbit بسبب a third-stage anomaly.

Vantor’s WorldView Legion satellite imaged a spent Chinese Long March 3B rocket body from 88 km away on 2026-04-15 at 22:20:30Z.

China’s asteroid deflection test mission is scheduled for launch on a Long March 3B/E from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in December 2027.

China's first planetary defense test mission is scheduled to launch in December 2027 on a Long March 3B rocket.

The January 17 Long March 3B/E third-stage failure halted launch campaigns for Long March 3A, Long March 3C, Long March 7A, and Long March 8 until a thorough investigation can be completed.

The previous Long March 3B/E third-stage issue required seventy-six days to return to flight.

A Long March 3B/E carrying the Shijian-32 satellite failed on January 17 during third-stage flight.

The third-stage used by the Long March 3B/E is shared with the Long March 3A, Long March 3C, Long March 7A, and Long March 8 launch vehicles.

A Long March 3B lifted off from Xichang at 1655 UTC on January 16, 2026, but the Shijian-32 satellite was lost after a third stage anomaly.

The Long March 3B rocket launched from Launch Complex 2 at Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Since 2012, only the Long March 3B/E variant of the vehicle has flown due to its increased payload capacity.

Each of the four boosters of the Long March 3B/E has a diameter of 2.25 meters.

A Long March 3B lifted off from Xichang at 16:55 UTC on December 26 but failed to deliver the payload, Shijian-32, to its planned orbit due to a third stage anomaly.