Family: Long March
Long March 2D
Launch statistics
- 105
- Launches (as of July 27, 2026)
- 2
- Successes
- 0
- Failures
- 100.0 %
- Success rate
The Long March 2D (Chang Zheng 2D, CZ-2D or LM-2D) is a Chinese two-stage orbital carrier rocket used mainly to place satellites into low Earth and Sun-synchronous orbits. It is built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) and, despite its designation, is an oddity within its family: unlike all other members of the Long March 2 family, it is in fact a two-stage version of the Long March 4 launch vehicle. It stands 41.056 m tall and 3.35 m in diameter, and lifts off at 232,250 kg. Both stages burn the hypergolic mixture of dinitrogen tetroxide and UDMH: the first with four YF-21C engines producing 2961.6 kN, the second with a YF-24C assembly made up of one YF-22C main engine and four YF-23C verniers. An optional YZ-3 third stage with a 6.5 kN YF-50D engine can be added for missions requiring multiple insertions. Capacity is 3500 kg to low Earth orbit and 1300 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit, and its price has been quoted at around US$30 million. It is one of China's most veteran and prolific launchers. It made its maiden flight on 9 August 1992 with the recoverable FSW-2 reconnaissance satellites, later joined by FSW-3. It flies from several centres: launch areas LA-2 and LA-4 at Jiuquan, LA-9 at Taiyuan and LA-3 at Xichang. As of May 2026 it had accumulated 105 launches with 104 successes and one partial failure.
History
A Long March 4 wearing a Long March 2 badge
The CZ-2D is the result of cutting the Long March 4 down to two stages to obtain a simple, inexpensive medium-class launcher. That lineage sets it apart from the rest of the Long March 2 family, whose members descend from the CZ-2C, and explains its 3.35 m diameter and its hypergolic YF-20 series engines. It made its maiden flight on 9 August 1992 from launch area LA-2/138 at Jiuquan, carrying the recoverable FSW-2 No.1 satellite.
Decades of quiet service
Through its first two decades the CZ-2D flew at a low rate, with missions dedicated to the FSW-2 and FSW-3 recoverable satellites and later to the Yaogan reconnaissance series and technology satellites such as the Shiyan and Chuangxin spacecraft. It also opened up to international customers: in September 2012 it orbited VRSS-1 / Miranda, the first Venezuelan Earth observation satellite. Its only stumble came on 28 December 2016, when the Y39 mission from Taiyuan carrying SuperView-1 01 and 02 plus BY70-1 ended in a partial failure.
Acceleration in the constellation era
From the mid-2010s the cadence climbed sharply. The rocket reached eight launches in a single year before 2020 and, in the following decade, peaked at 15 and 13 flights per year, supporting the expansion of Chinese Earth observation and commercial constellations with missions spread across Jiuquan, Taiyuan and Xichang. With 105 flights logged through May 2026 and a single off-nominal result in more than three decades of operation, the Long March 2D is one of the most reliable launchers in the Chinese inventory.
Launch timeline
| Date | Launch site | Outcome | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2026, 6:07 PM | Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) | Success | Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellites". Probably 4 test satellites for the Chinese state-owned LEO communication satellite constellation SatNet. |
| Apr 24, 2026, 6:35 AM | Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) | Success | Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellites". Probably 4 test satellites for the Chinese state-owned LEO communication satellite constellation SatNet. |
Versions
| CZ-2D/YZ-3 | |
|---|---|
| First launch | December 29, 2018 |
| Last launch | December 12, 2024 |
| Height | 41.1 m |
| Diameter | 3.4 m |
| Mass | 232,250 kg |
| Stages | 3 |
| Reusable | No |
Images