Long March 5
OperationalCALT / CASC · China · First flight 2016
China's most powerful operational rocket, used for the Tianhe space station modules, Chang'e lunar missions, and Tianwen Mars probe. The Long March 5B variant is used for LEO heavy-lift.
Launch price
Not published
Payload to LEO
25,000 kg
14,000 kg to GTO
Career record
94.4%
17/18 successful · as of 2026-10-09
Next launch
NET 2027
Xuntian Telescope
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More launch calendarsLaunch activity, live
From SpaceNexus's launch tracker (tracked since Dec 16, 2024); outcomes recorded as each flight lands. Career totals above are the vehicle's full history.
Last 90 days
0
launches flown
Tracked flights
6
6 success · 0 partial · 0 failed
Tracked success rate
100%
full successes / attempts; partial failures are not successes
On the manifest
3
upcoming launches
Upcoming
Specifications
| Height | 56.97 m |
| Diameter | 5 m |
| Liftoff mass | 867,000 kg |
| Stages | 2 |
| Engines | 2x YF-77 + 4x boosters (2x YF-100 each) + 2x YF-75D |
| Propellant | LH2 / LOX (core) + RP-1/LOX (boosters) |
| Fairing diameter | 5.2 m |
| Payload to LEO | 25,000 kg |
| Payload to GTO | 14,000 kg |
| Reusable | No |
| First flight | 2016-11-03 |
| Last flight | Active |
| Variants seen on the manifest | Long March 5, Long March 5B, Long March 5B/YZ-2 |
Where it launches from
Frequently asked
How much does a Long March 5 launch cost?
CALT / CASC has not published a list price for Long March 5.
When is the next Long March 5 launch?
The next tracked Long March 5 launch is Xuntian Telescope, NET 2027 from Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China. Dates move; Mission Control carries the live countdown.
How reliable is Long March 5?
Long March 5 has flown 18 times as of 2026-10-09, with 17 successes, 1 failures and 0 partial failures: a 94.4% success rate, with 16 consecutive successes at last count.
How much can Long March 5 carry?
25,000 kg to low Earth orbit, 14,000 kg to geostationary transfer orbit.