At 6th June 2026 (Beijing time) Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration, the Long March 5 Yao-11 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China., On the morning of June 6, 2026, Beijing time, the Long March 5 Y11 carrier rocket and its satellite assembly, after completing relevant work in the technical area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, was vertically transported from the assembly and testing building to the launch area on a mobile launch platform. The launch mission preparations have entered their final stage.
This mission is China’s third high-orbit launch mission in 2026 and the first launch of the Long March 5 carrier rocket of the year. The mission slogan is “Building a Galaxy of Merit, Determined to Win…..
The Long March 5 (nicknamed “Fat Five”) is China’s first new-generation high-thrust cryogenic liquid-fueled launch vehicle with a core stage diameter of 5 meters. The Y11 rocket has been transported to the launch area and is scheduled to be launched soon. Meanwhile, its improved version, the Long March 5B, is being prepared for the expansion of the space station, the upgrade of the fairing, and the addition of stages
I. Core Parameters and Technical Features
1. Basic configuration and scale
- Configuration : It adopts a two-and-a-half-stage configuration, consisting of a core stage, a core stage, and four boosters.2
- Dimensions : Maximum height approximately 63.2 meters (about 20 stories high), core stage diameter 5 meters, booster diameter 3.35 meters.2
- Mass : Takeoff mass approximately 874 tons (approximately 870 tons under certain mission conditions).@HanLu2
- Thrust : Takeoff thrust is 1068 tons (approximately 1060-1078 tons), with more than 90% of the thrust provided by 8 YF-100 liquid oxygen kerosene engines (120 tons each). The core stage is equipped with 2 YF-77 hydrogen-oxygen engines.2
2. Carrying capacity
| Track type | carrying capacity |
| Low Earth Orbit (LEO) | 25 tons (approximately the equivalent of 3 core modules of the space station) |
| Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) | 14 tons |
| Earth-Moon Transfer Orbit (TLI) | 8.25 tons (in actual missions, Chang’e 6 could be sent into orbit weighing 8.3 tons) |
| Earth-Mars Transfer Orbit (TMI) | 5.2 tons |
3. Propellant characteristics
- The core stage uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen cryogenic propellants, while the boosters use liquid oxygen and kerosene cryogenic propellants.2
- Cryogenic propellants have extremely low temperatures (liquid hydrogen -253°C, liquid oxygen -183°C), and white mist will condense on the surface of the rocket body before launch, requiring pre-launch refueling and continuous replenishment.
II. Latest Launch Updates
1. The Long March 5 Y11 rocket has been transported and is ready for launch.
- Timeline : On the morning of June 6, 2026, the Y11 mission satellite and rocket assembly was vertically transported from the vertical assembly and testing facility to the launch area, with launch scheduled for the near future.
- Mission Background : This is the first launch of the Long March 5 rocket in 2026, with the mission slogan “Building a Starry Sky, Determined to Win”
- Payload speculation : Third-party predictions indicate that the payload is “Communication Technology Experiment 25” and will enter geosynchronous transfer orbit.
2. Launch time adjustment
- The launch, originally scheduled for June 10, was postponed by one day due to mission adjustments. It is now finally scheduled to launch around June 10. Please stay tuned for official confirmation.
III. Major Historical Tasks and Achievements
1. Core Force in Space Station Construction (Long March 5B)
- The Long March 5B rocket, designed specifically for the space station, has launched the Tianhe core module (2021), the Wentian experimental module, and the Mengtian experimental module, serving as the cornerstone of the Tiangong space station construction
- As of 2026, the Tianhe core module has been operating stably in orbit for five years, and the space station has carried out 267 scientific experiments.
2. Flagship launch vehicle for deep space exploration
- Chang’e 5 (2020): Sends an 8.2-ton probe into a lunar transfer orbit, achieves lunar surface sample return, and brings back 1,731 grams of lunar soil.
- Chang’e 6 (2024): Launched the world’s first lunar sample return probe, weighing approximately 8.3 tons, which was China’s heaviest deep space probe at the time.
- Tianwen-1 (2020): Successfully sent the Mars probe into the Earth-Mars transfer orbit (capacity 5.2 tons), achieving China’s first independent Mars exploration.
- Chang’e 7 (planned for August 2026): Development has been completed and it will carry out a detailed lunar resource survey mission. It is expected to be launched by Long March 5 Y12 .
3. Satellite Internet Network
- The Long March 5B rocket, carrying the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage, has completed its near-polar orbit satellite internet networking mission, deploying more than 10 satellites in a single launch, contributing to the full deployment of the first phase of 168 satellites…
IV. Technological Upgrading and Future Evolution
1. Improved Long March 5B Proposal
- Enlarged fairing : A new fairing with a larger diameter is being developed (there are already cases of using an 18.5-meter ultra-long fairing), and a 6.4-meter diameter fairing will be launched in the future to accommodate larger satellites.
- Adding a stage : Adding a stage to the existing two-and-a-half-stage configuration to form a three-stage configuration, in order to support the subsequent expansion of the space station.13
- The new configuration is positioned to serve the “secondary expansion” of the space station, including the launch of a space survey telescope (planned for launch in 2027).
2. Enhanced launch site capabilities
- The Wenchang Space Launch Site has built a new vertical assembly and testing facility for the Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets (to be put into use in December 2025), which can support the simultaneous testing of four rockets, nearly doubling the annual launch capacity.3511
- Optimized launch and testing process: The launch and testing cycle for the Long March 5 mission has been shortened from 55 days to 36 days.
V. International Positioning and Comparison
1. Asia’s strongest active rocket
- With a low Earth orbit payload capacity of 25 tons, the Long March 5 maintains an absolute lead among active rockets in Asia, comparable to the Delta IV Heavy rocket in the United States, but lower than SpaceX’s Starship (250 tons in non-recovery mode)
2. Comparison with rockets under development
- Long March 10 : A new generation of manned lunar landing rocket, it adopts a two-stage bare rod or three-and-a-half-stage CBC configuration, and its low-Earth orbit payload capacity has been increased to 70 tons. It is planned to carry out manned lunar landing missions around 2030, and completed low-altitude demonstration verification in February 2026.
- Commercial rocket benchmarks : Domestic commercial companies such as Yushi Space AS-1 (stainless steel rocket body + chopstick recovery) and Dahang Yueqian “Yueqian-1” are both planned to make their maiden flight in 2027, and their core teams mostly come from the development background of Long March 5
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration