The Long March 1D was a member of China's

Long March rocket family Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

. During the 1990s CALT developed an improved version of the

DF-4 The Dong Feng 4 () or DF-4 (also known as the CSS-3) is a first-generation two-stage Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile with liquid fuel (Nitric acid/ Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine). It was thought to be deployed in limited numbers i ...

to test the

reentry vehicle Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the e ...

warheads of the

DF-31 The Dong Feng 31 (; NATO reporting name CSS-10) is a third-generation long-range, road-mobile, three stage, solid-fuel rocket intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the Dongfeng missile series developed by the People's Republic of Chi ...

. They took advantage of this development and offered it as the Long March 1D for commercial application. The modifications included: * An

improved first stage, which used the new version of the YF-2B, and switched propellants to

UDMH Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH; 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, НДМГ or codenamed Geptil) is a chemical compound with the formula H2NN(CH3)2 that is used as a rocket propellant. It is a colorless liquid, with a sharp, fishy, ammonia-like smell ...

/ N₂O₄ for improved performance. * The replacement of the DF-4 second stage motor YF-3A. The proposed replacement was the

Long March 4 The Long March rockets are a family of expendable launch system rockets operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The rockets are named after the Chinese Red Army's 1934–35 Long March military retreat during the Ch ...

third stage engine, the YF-40. * A new inline inter-stage would replace the existing tapered connector between the second and third stages, which allowed for an additional 70cm diameter to be added to the third stage skirt. This would allow for the addition of

RCS RCS may refer to: Organisations *Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace * Radio Corporation of Singapore * Radcliffe Choral Society * Rawmarsh Community School *Red Crescent Society * Red Cross Society * Representation of Czechs and Slovaks, a football ...

to the third stage. * A new third stage with a new motor, the

FG-36 The FG-36 (AKA Fengyun 2 AKM) was a Chinese spin stabilized apogee kick motor burning HTPB. It was developed by China Hexi Chemical and Machinery Corporation (also known as the 6th Academy of CASIC) for use in the Fengyun 2 satellite bus for ...

and an optional RCS. * A new computer inertial guidance system which enabled the third stage to be 3-axis stabilised for added precision. The new design did not have a good reception and was only used for reentry vehicle tests. It flew three suborbital missions from

Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...

LC-1 with two successes and a failure on the final mission. The first launch was on June 1, 1995 and the second one was in November 1997. The final and failed launch was on January 3, 2002.

References

* Data from ''Aerospace China'' magazine

External links

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
Long March (rocket family) Vehicles introduced in 1995 {{china-stub