China preps another rocket that Beijing hopes will become its workhorse

China is readying an upgraded and more capable rocket for its first launch, to advance its ambition of creating large constellations of satellites.

The first Long March-8A was this week placed on a ship for a journey to the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China’s Hainan Province, from where it’s expected to launch in January according to a Tuesday announcement from China’s State Council.

“The Long March-8A is an upgraded version of the Long March-8 rocket, specifically developed to meet the launch requirements of large-scale constellation networks in medium- and low-Earth orbits,” explained Song Zhengyu, chief designer from the developer, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).

China’s Aerospace and Technology Corporation revealed its capabilities include carrying payloads of seven tons to 700-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit, and using a 5.2 meter faring that would allow it to hoist large-volume cargoes. The new launcher is also said to use more powerful engines than its predecessor, which was good for lifting five-ton cargoes to the same orbits.

The Long March-8A will fly just four-and-a-bit years after the December 2020 debut of the first in the series. It will also ascend just a few weeks after China’s first four-meter class launcher rocket – known as the Long March 12 – was sent to space in early December. The Long March 12 was the first launch from the site that will host the first Long March-8A mission.

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State-sponsored media noted that the launcher has completed 44 major ground tests over 28 months, and is expected to be the main vehicle China uses for future low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite launches.

China plans many such missions. A few weeks ago, Beijing announced it would refresh its satellite-based radio navigation system – known as the Beidou network – by 2035. Launches to bring 24 medium-Earth orbit satellites, three others in geostationary orbit, and three more to inclined geosynchronous orbit are slated to run between 2029 and 2035.

China has also begun putting in place its Qianfan Constellation – also known as G60 broadband network. The megaconstellation is planned to include 15,000 satellites placed in low-Earth orbit by 2030.

Chinese private concerns plan another two broadband constellations. China Star Network Company wants 13,000 satellites in its GW Constellation, and Hongqing Technology’s Honghu-3 Constellation includes 10,000 birds. China’s government, meanwhile, makes dozens of its own launches each year. ®