The vehicle is a further development of the Long March 6, with two YF-100 engines on the first stage as opposed to one on the Long March 6, augmented by four solid rocket boosters. The Long March 6A is China's first rocket with solid rocket boosters, and only one so far to combine solid and liquid fuel technology in one rocket.[7] There also exists a shorter boosterless variant of the 6A called the Long March 6C.
The maiden launch of the Long March 6A took place on March 29, 2022, successfully reaching orbit.[8] It was also the first launch from the newly built launch complex 9A in Taiyuan.
After the release of Yunhai 3 following the Y2 launch of 11 November 2022, the Long March 6 upper stage broke up into more than 50 pieces of debris, which later expanded to more than 781 pieces. The vehicle was intended to re-enter in one piece and burn up.[9][10] Following the November 2022 breakup, similar events were observed after the launches of 26 March 2024, 4 July 2024, and 6 August 2024. The reason for the breakups is unclear, but it may be related to upper stage passivation or insulation.[11][12]
This template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future
Symbol † indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)
