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Further Reading

CZ-2E Space Launch Vehicle

The Long March 2E is a two-stage launch vehicle with four strap-on boosters, and is the most powerful launch vehicle for LEO missions in China. Its LEO launch capability is 9,500kg. Long March 2E (LM-2E) is a two-stage launch vehicle with four strap-on boosters, all employing UDMH and nitrogen tetroxide. LM-2E, with a solid perigee kick motor (EPKM), is capable of sending spacecraft with a mass up to 3500kg into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

The development of Long March 2E was started in late 1988. It was based on the mature technology of LM-2C and LM-3. Its LEO launch capacity reaches 9,200 kg. The development of the LM-2E was based on the mature technology of previous versions of Long March launch vehicles. Besides the vehicle structure, the LM-2E has several key functional subsystems, including Engine system for propulsion, Propellant Utilization system, Guidance System, Attitude control System for vehicle stabilization and trajectory control, as well as Telemetry System and Ground Tracking and Control.

In 1990 the CZ-2E variant was introduced to give the CZ-2 series of launch vehicles a GTO capability which was specially designed to accommodate Western GEO satellites. The strap-on stages each use a single YF-20B engine which is an improved version of the main engine design used on the first stage of the CZ-2C. Four YF20B engines are combined to make the YF-21B which powers the first stage of the core vehicle, which is more than three meters longer than the CZ-2C first stage. The CZ-2E second stage is also based on its CZ-2C counterpart with an uprated main engine (YF-22B) and larger propellant tanks carrying more than twice the load of the CZ-2C second stages. Finally, a small perigee kick stage is available for payload transfer from a LEO parking orbit to GTO (References 159,162, 163, 166-169). The CZ-2E has a 9.2 metric ton LEO capacity and a 3.1-3.4 metric ton capacity to GTO depending upon the perigee kick stage selected.

To perform GTO launch missions, CALT is offering a new version designated LM-2E/EPKM, which has a solid perigee kick motor [EPKM]. LM2E/EPKM is capable of inserting a spacecraft of 3,500 kgs into GTO with orbital inclination of 28 degrees.

On July 16, 1990, the first test flight of LM-2E was successfully performed at XSLC, sending a the small (50 kg) Pakistani Badr piggy-back satellite into its predetermined LEO. The main payload was a dummy payload simulating Optus B satellite and Star-63F solid rocket perigee kick motor. An attempt to test the new Chinese perigee kick stage attached to a dummy payload failed.

On March 22, 1992, the launch attempt of the Australian Optus B1 (HS-601 made by Hughes Aircraft Company) on LM-2E was aborted due to the problem of engine ignition device for Booster-1 and Booster-3. Optus-B1 was successfully launched by the refurbished LM-2E on August 13-14, 1992.

The next flight on 21 December 1992 failed when a malfunction of the payload or shroud occurred less than one minute into the ascent. The third flight of LM-2E was successfully conducted carrying Aussat-B2 (Optus-B2) plus Star-63F as payload. At 47.7 second during the first stage flight, the satellite exploded and the fairing was damaged by the explosion. Despite the violent nature of the failure, which left a large portion of the payload scattered down range, the CZ-2E second stage continued to function and reached a nominal LEO parking orbit. The LM-2E finally placed the remains of the payload (mainly the Star-63F) into the desired orbit and all the orbit accuracy was within the required range.

The vehicle flew again successfully on 27 August 1994 with Optus B3 (References 170-179).

After its successful launches of the Long March (Chang Zheng) 2E in 1994, China suffered a serious setback on 25 January 1995 with the explosion of an LM-2E approximately 50 sec. after launch, that killed six persons near the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and injured 27 others by falling debris. The booster, which was carrying the Apstar 2 communications satellite, was destroyed due to wind shear.

Another LM-2E was launched successfully on 28 November 1995, carrying the Lockheed Martin comsat Asiasat 2 into geostationary orbit to provide services for the Hongkong-based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. Because of the lack of information on the cause of the prior failure (as well as a similar one in December 1992), the insurance premium for the launch was 27 percent, significantly higher than the then-current industry average of 17 percent to 20 percent. On 28 December 1995, a third LM-2E carried the TV-broadcast satellite EchoStar 1 successfully into orbit.

But Long March programme suffered another blow on 4 September 1996 when Hong Kong's Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. (Asiasat) filed an insurance claim of $58 million for damage to AsiaSat-2 caused by an alleged "rough ride" during its launch in November 1995 by a Long March 2E (see above). AsiaSat claimed that excessive acceleration caused by the launcher knocked the antenna feed horns of the spacecraft's nine Ku-band transponders out of alignment, reducing effective coverage and transmission power to the company's customers.

A number of international customers had cancelled their geosynchronous launch contracts with the Chinese carrier. Restoration of market confidence in the new booster, particularly by the international insurance community, depended on the success of China in launching its backlog of commercial payloads in 1997.

In June 1997 Hughes Telecommunication and Space Co and China Great Wall Industry Corp. agreed to send at least five US-made satellites into orbit on Long March rockets. The cooperation agreement came after several setbacks in the Chinese satellite industry. Recent successful launches using the Long March rockets boosted confidence in the Chinese rockets. Hughes was the first foreign user of Long March rockets, and now, more satellite manufacturers are considering working with Great Wall Industrial.

LM-2E
	Background Information First Launch: July 1990 Flight Rate: 1-3 per year Launch Site: Xichang Space Launch Center, China Capability: 19,400 lb to LEO; 7,430 lb to GTO History Chinese rocket program started in the late 1950s Evolved from Chinese surface-to-surface series IRBMs LM-2E is enhanced version of the LM-2 Description Two-stage vehicle with four strap-on boosters Stage 1 consists of four YF-20B motors that burn UDMH/N2O4, providing 665,800 lb of total thrust Stage 2 uses one YF-22B engine and four YF-23B verniers burning UDMH/N2O4, generating a total thrust of 177,200 lb Each strap-on booster uses a single YF-20B liquid engine, generating 166,450 lb of thrust each Profile Length: 49.7 meters Launch Weight: 460,000 kg Diameter: 3.35 meters Liftoff Thrust: 1,331,600 lb Payload Fairing: 39.2 ft x 13.8 ft