Rendering of Long March 3
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
Country of origin	China
Size
Height	43.25 metres (141.9 ft)[1]
Diameter	3.35 metres (11.0 ft)[1]
Mass	204,000 kilograms (450,000 lb)[1]
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload toLEO
Mass	5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb)[2]
Payload toGTO
Mass	1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb)[2]
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Derivative work	Long March 3A
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	LA-3,XSLC
Total launches	13
Success(es)	10
Failure	2
Partial failure	1
First flight	29 January 1984
Last flight	25 June 2000
First stage
Height	23.49 m
Diameter	3.35 m
Empty mass	9,378 kg (20,675 lb)
Gross mass	153,070 kg (337,460 lb)
Propellant mass	143,692 kg (316,787 lb)
Powered by	4YF-21B
Maximum thrust	2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf)
Specific impulse	2,556.2 m/s (260.66 s)
Burn time	121 s
Propellant	N2O4 /UDMH
Second stage
Height	9.47 m
Diameter	3.35 m
Empty mass	3,599 kg (7,934 lb)
Gross mass	39,440 kg (86,950 lb)
Propellant mass	35,841 kg (79,016 lb)
Powered by	1YF-24D (1 x YF-22D (Main)) (4 x YF-23F (Vernier))
Maximum thrust	741.4 kN (166,700 lbf) (Main) 47.1 kN (10,600 lbf) (Vernier)
Specific impulse	2,922.4 m/s (298.00 s) (Main) 2,762 m/s (281.6 s) (Vernier)
Burn time	130 s
Propellant	N2O4 /UDMH
Third stage
Height	10.36 m
Diameter	2.25 m
Empty mass	1,965 kg (4,332 lb)
Gross mass	10,700 kg (23,600 lb)
Propellant mass	8,731 kg (19,249 lb)
Powered by	1YF-73
Maximum thrust	44.43 kN (9,990 lbf)
Specific impulse	4,119 m/s (420.0 s)
Burn time	729 s
Propellant	LH2 /LOX
[edit on Wikidata]

TheLong March 3 (Chinese:长征三号火箭), also known as theChangzheng 3,CZ-3 andLM-3, was a Chineseorbitalcarrier rocket design. They were all launched from Launch Area 3 at theXichang Satellite Launch Center. It was a three-stage rocket, and was mostly used to placeDFH-2-classcommunications satellites intogeosynchronous transfer orbits. It was complemented and later replaced by the more powerfulLong March 3A, which has an improved third stage.

Original LM 3 only.

On 29 January 1984, a LM-3 rocket failed during launch.The third stage failed 4 s after restart for GTO insertion of the satellite, due to incorrect mixture ratio in the engine gas generator, which caused high temperatures and burned out the turbine casing. However, many planned tests on the experimental communications spacecraft were still carried out in the resulting elliptical orbit.

On 28 December 1991, a LM-3 rocket failed during launch.The third-stage engine suffered a loss of turbine speed and combustion pressure 58 s after re-igniting for the second burn for GTO insertion and shut down completely 135 s after re-ignition. Loss of pressure in the high-pressure helium supply used for engine control had reduced the propellant flow.

On 18 August 1996, a LM-3 rocket failed during launch.The third-stage engine shut down roughly 40 s earlier than planned because of a fire in the LH2 injector of the gas generator. Insufficient purging had permitted oxygen to freeze in the gas generator during flight.

Specifications

Series	3	3A	3B	3B/E	3C	3C/E
Model
Stages	3	3	3 (plus 4 strap-on boosters)	3 (plus 4 strap-on boosters)	3 (plus 2 strap-on boosters)	3 (plus 2 strap-on boosters)
Length (m)	43.2	52.5	54.8	56.3	54.8	56.3
Max. diameter (m)	3.35	3.35	3.35	3.35	3.35	3.35
Liftoff mass (t)	204	241	426	459	345	378
Liftoff thrust (kN)	2,962	2,962	5,923	5,923	4,442	4,442
Payload (LEO, kg)	5,000	8,500	11,500	11,500	8,000	8,000

The following launch statistics are gathered from the individual Wikipedia pages of each CZ-3x variants as those pages are updated more frequently by various editors; the numbers are current as of 28 May 2025.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLong March 3.

• Long March (rocket family)
• Vehicles introduced in 1984

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from August 2025
• Articles containing Chinese-language text
• Commons category link is on Wikidata