Positive Benchmarking Against Falcon 9! Recyclable Private Long March 3 to Make Maiden Flight in July

On April 2nd, Tianbing Technology, a Chinese private aerospace company, announced that the development and mass production of the Long March 3 large liquid carrier rocket are in full swing. According to the plan, the maiden flight is scheduled to be completed in July 2024, delayed by one month from the original schedule. Within three years after the maiden flight, the Long March 3 will have the capability to conduct over 30 commercial launches annually. Tianlong-3 is tailored to meet the core demands of China's satellite internet constellation construction. With performance benchmarked against SpaceX's Falcon 9, it boasts significant advantages such as robust thrust and reusability. It's poised to become the first domestically developed large liquid rocket capable of deploying over 30 satellites with a single launch.

According to available data, Tianlong-3 has a diameter of 3.8 meters and a liftoff mass of 590 tons. It can deliver payloads of up to 14 tons to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) and 17 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO).

Powered by the high-thrust, reusable liquid rocket engine "Tianhuo-12" (TH-12), which uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants, it boasts a design thrust of 110 tons and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 163, marking a significant milestone in domestic rocketry.

It's worth mentioning that the Tenglong-2 (Dragon-2) has been flying for a whole year now! On April 2, 2023, the Tenglong-2 Y1 carrier rocket successfully completed its maiden flight, precisely delivering the "Love Space Science" remote sensing satellite into its designated orbit.

As the first successful commercial liquid carrier rocket launched by China, the Tenglong-2 set eight new records in one go:

1. The world's first privately-developed liquid carrier rocket to successfully reach orbit, with leading precision in orbital insertion.
2. The world's first successful maiden flight of a carrier rocket using kerosene produced from coal for propulsion.
3. China's first liquid carrier rocket to succeed in its maiden flight without relying on a launch pad.
4. China's first maiden flight rocket to use 3D printed high-pressure staged combustion engines.
5. China's first maiden flight of a carrier rocket utilizing a three-engine parallel propulsion system.
6. China's first maiden flight of a carrier rocket utilizing an all-aluminum alloy surface tension propellant tank attitude control system.
7. China's first maiden flight of a carrier rocket with a reusable structural design.
8. China's first application of rapid, controlled deorbiting and re-entry technology for carrier rockets using terminal-stage active propulsion.