Long March 9

Long March 9 (Chinese: 长征九号火箭, LM-9 or Changzheng 9, CZ-9) is a Chinese super-heavy carrier rocket concept that is currently under development.[3][4] It is the ninth iteration of the Long March rocket family, named for the Chinese Red Army's 1934–35 Long March campaign during the Chinese Civil War.

Long March 9 Chinese: 长征九号
Chinese super-heavy rocket in development
Has use	Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
Country of origin	People's Republic of China
Size
Height	103 m (338 ft)
Diameter	9.5 m (31 ft)
Mass	3,997,000 kg (8,812,000 lb)
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	140,000 to 150,000 kg (310,000 to 330,000 lb)[1]
Payload to TLI
Mass	53,000 kg (117,000 lb)[2]
Payload to MTO
Mass	44,000 kg (97,000 lb)[2]
Associated rockets
Family	Long March (rocket family)
Comparable	SpaceX Super Heavy Space Launch System Falcon Heavy Ares V Energia N1 (rocket) Saturn V
Launch history
Status	In development
Boosters
No. boosters	4
Powered by	2 YF-130
Maximum thrust	4800KN
Specific impulse	306
Burn time	N/A
Propellant	LOX/RP-1
First stage
Powered by	4 YF-130
Maximum thrust	4800KN
Specific impulse	306
Burn time	N/A
Propellant	LOX/RP-1
Second stage
Powered by	2 YF-90
Maximum thrust	2200KN
Specific impulse	453
Burn time	N/A
Propellant	LH2/LOX
Third stage
Powered by	4 YF-79
Maximum thrust	243KN
Specific impulse	460
Burn time	N/A
Propellant	LH2/LOX

Current plans call for the Long March 9 to have a maximum payload capacity of 140,000 kg to low Earth orbit (LEO),[5] 53,000 kg to trans-lunar injection, and 44,000 kg to Mars.[6][3] Its first flight is expected to occur by 2028 or 2029 in advance of possible Chinese crewed lunar missions sometime in the 2030s time-frame.[4][7]

As of 2016, the CZ-9 is designed as a three-staged rocket, with a first-stage core diameter of 10 meters and using a cluster of four engines. Multiple variants of the rocket have been proposed, with CZ-9 being the largest: this 'base variant' has four additional liquid-fuel boosters strapped onto the core stage (each individual booster would be up to 5 meters in diameter) and it is this variant that has the aforementioned LEO payload capacity of 140,000 kg. In addition to the base variant, there is the CZ-9A variant which has only two additional boosters and a LEO payload capacity of 100,000 kg. Finally, there is the CZ-9B having only the bare 10-meter diameter core stage and a LEO payload capacity of 50,000 kg.[8] The expected payload capacities of the Long March 9 place it in the class of super heavy-lift launch vehicle; the rocket's development program was formally approved by the Chinese government in 2021.[4]

On 24 June 2021, Long Lehao, chief designer of the Long March series, provided some updates regarding the Long March 9 at the University of Hong Kong in a presentation titled "Long March Rocket and China's Aerospace". The original design, called the 11th version (2011), had been supplanted by a new design, called the 21st version, which featured many changes including an enlarged diameter of 10.6 meters, a length of 108 meters, and a weight of 4,122 tons. 16 YF-135 liquid oxygen kerosene engines, each with over 300 tons of thrust, will be used in the first stage; 120 ton hydrogen-oxygen engines will be used in the second and third stages, with four in the second stage and one in the third stage. All fuel tanks were changed to a common bulkhead design, and all external boosters had been removed. The payload capacity to low Earth orbit was increased from 140 to 150 tons, and the payload to trans-lunar injection was increased to 53 tons. Long noted that this new version was still under review as of the time of presentation.[9][10]