Rocket file · LV-19
Long March 3B
Long March 3B is an expendable launch vehicle built by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It stands 54.8 m tall, lifts 11,500 kg to low Earth orbit, first flew on 14 February 1996. It has flown 24 times with 21 successes, a success rate of 87.5%. It has nothing on the Launch Library 2 schedule right now.
Specification
Vehicle spec sheet
As listed by Launch Library 2. The cost is Launch Library’s figure, not a quoted price. Figures for rockets outside the sixty most-flown were last read on 2026-11-05.
Flight record
Reliability
About Long March 3B
The Long March 3B is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Introduced in 1996, it is launched from Launch Area 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan. A three-stage rocket with four strap-on liquid rocket boosters, it is currently the most powerful member of the Long March rocket family and the heaviest of the Long March 3 rocket family, and is mainly used to place communications satellites into geosynchronous orbits.
Upcoming flights
Manifest
There's no Long March 3B flight on the Launch Library 2 schedule right now.
All upcoming launchesLong March 3B in the archive
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Common questions
- How many times has Long March 3B flown?
- 24 times, with 21 successes and 3 failures.
- What is Long March 3B's success rate?
- 87.5%. That's 21 successful flights out of 24 attempts.
- When is the next Long March 3B launch?
- Long March 3B has nothing on the Launch Library 2 schedule right now.
- How much can Long March 3B lift to orbit?
- Launch Library 2 lists Long March 3B at 11,500 kg to low Earth orbit and 5,100 kg to geostationary transfer orbit.
- Is Long March 3B reusable?
- No. Launch Library 2 lists Long March 3B as expendable, so no stage is recovered to fly again.