Chang Zheng      CZ-6

China National Space Administration * Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST)

The CZ-6 is a small-lift launch vehicle designed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST).
The launch vehicle is based on a 2.25m diameter core stage, which has been developed as a strap-on booster for the CZ-5 family a which consists of a single 120t-thrust YF-100 rocket engine (K2-1 module). The second stage uses a single 15t-thrust YF-115 engine. Both engines burn LOX/Kerosene propellant. The third stage is 2.25m in diameter and consists of four 1kN-thrust rocket motors.

The new CZ-6  rocket is capable of sending at least 1,000 kg payload into the 700km SSO. The first-stage of the CZ-6 is 3.35 m in diameter and powered by a one YF-100 engine (short module K3-0).
The second stage of the vehicle is 2.25 m in diameter and powered by an YF-115 engine. The third-stage is 2.25m in diameter and powered by four 1kN motors. The rocket was said to have an overall length of 29.2 m, with a take-off thrust of 120 t and a take-off mass of 103 t.
The rocket was designed to be capable of "rapid launch". The rocket will be assembled in the factory and transported to the launch site in one piece. The rocket is then fuelled in the horizontal position, before being erected on the launch pad ready for launch.

A Chinese paper describes the design of the CZ-6: The first stage uses a 3.35 m diameter first stage, modified to hold one YF-100 engine and holds 76 tonnes of propellant. The second stage is powered by a restartable 150 kN thrust engine (YF-115) that holds 15.15 tonnes of propellant. The most aspect is the thrusters on the ACS of the first two stages and on a third stage: They all use thrusters powered by a mixture of kerosene and hydrogen peroxide.

- the first stage uses four 1000N thrusters for roll control
- the second stage uses four 25N thrusters for roll control
- the third stage (PBV) is powered by four 1000N thrusters, along with eight 100N thrusters for attitude control.

The basic parameters of the CZ-6:
Length: 29.237 m
Total mass at liftoff: 103.217 tonnes
Total dry mass: 9.02 tonnes
Fairing diameter: 2.60 m
Payload to 700 km SSO: 1080 kg