The Long March 2F also known as the CZ-2F, LM-2F and Shenjian, is a Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 manned

Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....

 orbit

Orbit

In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...

al carrier rocket, part of the Long March rocket family. Designed to launch manned Shenzhou spacecraft

Shenzhou spacecraft

Shenzhou is a spacecraft developed and operated by the People's Republic of China to support its manned spaceflight program. The name is variously translated as "Divine Craft," "Divine Vessel of God," "Magic Boat" or similar and is also homophonous with an ancient name for China...

, the Long March 2F is a man-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E

Long March 2E

The Long March 2E, also known as the Chang Zheng 2E, CZ-2E and LM-2E, was a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Designed to launch commercial communications satellites, the Long March 2E was retired in favour of the Long March 3B, after two launch failures. Launched from complex 2 at the Xichang...

 rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C

Long March 2C

Long March 2C , or Chang Zheng 2C as in Chinese pinyin is a member of the Long March 2 rocket family, an expendable launch system operated by the People's Republic of China. This vehicle was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, and the first launch occurred on November 26,...

 launch vehicle. It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The Long March 2F made its maiden flight on 19 November 1999, with the Shenzhou 1

Shenzhou 1

Shenzhou 1 launched on November 19, 1999, was the first unmanned launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. The spacecraft used was not equipped with a life support system or an emergency escape system. After orbiting the Earth 14 times, the command for retrofire was sent by the Yuanwang 3 tracking ship...

 spacecraft. After the flight of Shenzhou 3

Shenzhou 3

Shenzhou 3 launched on March 25, 2002, was the third unmanned launch of China's Shenzhou spacecraft. This was the first Shenzhou spacecraft launched that could have actually carried a human and as such the main objective of the mission was to test the systems required to support a human in space...

, CPC General Secretary and President Jiang Zemin

Jiang Zemin

Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...

 named the rocket 'Shenjian' meaning 'Divine Arrow'.

On 15 October 2003, a Long March 2F launched Shenzhou 5

Shenzhou 5

Shenzhou 5  — was the first human spaceflight mission of the People's Republic of China , launched on October 15, 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F launch vehicle. There had been four previous flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions since 1999...

, China's first manned spaceflight. It has since launched the Shenzhou 6

Shenzhou 6

Shenzhou 6 was the second human spaceflight of the People's Republic of China, launched on October 12, 2005 on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou spacecraft carried a crew of Fèi Jùnlóng and Niè Hǎishèng for five days in low Earth orbit...

 mission and the Shenzhou 7

Shenzhou 7

- Backup crew :Of the back-up crew, only Chen Quan had not previously flown in space.- Mission highlights :The Long March 2F rocket launched the Shenzhou 7 into an initial elliptical orbit of 200 x 330 kilometres inclined at 42.4 degrees on 25 September 2008. About seven hours later the spacecraft...

 mission into orbit.

Differences from the Long March 2E

Externally, the rocket is little different from the Long March 2E from which it was derived. Most of the changes are redundant systems to improve safety, although there are some structural modifications which allow the rocket to support the heavier fairing required by the Shenzhou capsule. The rocket is also capable of lifting heavier payloads with the addition of extra boosters to the first stage.

The rocket also has an "advanced fault monitoring and diagnosis system to help the astronauts escape in time of emergency", and is the first Chinese made rocket to be assembled and rolled out to its launch site vertically.

Vibration issues

During the Shenzhou 5

Shenzhou 5

Shenzhou 5  — was the first human spaceflight mission of the People's Republic of China , launched on October 15, 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F launch vehicle. There had been four previous flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions since 1999...

 flight, Yang Liwei

Yang Liwei

Yáng Lìwěi is a Chinese major general and military pilot and a CNSA astronaut. He was the first man sent into space by the Chinese space program and his mission, Shenzhou 5, made China the third country to independently send people into space.-Background:...

 became sick due to heavy vibrations from the rocket. Although the problem was reduced somewhat by modifications to the rocket, vibrations were reported again in Shenzhou 6

Shenzhou 6

Shenzhou 6 was the second human spaceflight of the People's Republic of China, launched on October 12, 2005 on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou spacecraft carried a crew of Fèi Jùnlóng and Niè Hǎishèng for five days in low Earth orbit...

 necessitating further changes. According to Jing Muchun, chief designer of the Long March 2F "We made changes to the pipelines of the rocket engine, adjusting its frequency. A new design for the pressure accumulator produced evident results. The vibration has now been reduced by more than 50 percent."

Launch history

Date & Time (GMT)	Payload	Outcome	Remarks
19 November 1999, 22:30	Shenzhou 1 Shenzhou 1 Shenzhou 1 launched on November 19, 1999, was the first unmanned launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. The spacecraft used was not equipped with a life support system or an emergency escape system. After orbiting the Earth 14 times, the command for retrofire was sent by the Yuanwang 3 tracking ship...	Success	First unmanned test of the Shenzhou Shenzhou spacecraft Shenzhou is a spacecraft developed and operated by the People's Republic of China to support its manned spaceflight program. The name is variously translated as "Divine Craft," "Divine Vessel of God," "Magic Boat" or similar and is also homophonous with an ancient name for China...  capsule
9 January 2001, 01:00	Shenzhou 2 Shenzhou 2 Shenzhou 2 launched on January 9, 2001, was the second unmanned launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. Inside the reentry capsule were a monkey, a dog and a rabbit in a test of the spaceship's life support systems...	Success	Second unmanned test of the Shenzhou capsule, carried live animals
25 March 2002, 14:00	Shenzhou 3 Shenzhou 3 Shenzhou 3 launched on March 25, 2002, was the third unmanned launch of China's Shenzhou spacecraft. This was the first Shenzhou spacecraft launched that could have actually carried a human and as such the main objective of the mission was to test the systems required to support a human in space...	Success	Third unmanned test of the Shenzhou capsule.
29 December 2002, 16:40	Shenzhou 4 Shenzhou 4 Shenzhou 4 launched on December 29, 2002, was the fourth unmanned launch of the Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft. Carried on board were two dummy astronauts to test the life support systems....	Success	Final unmanned test of the Shenzhou capsule.
15 October 2003, 01:00	Shenzhou 5 Shenzhou 5 Shenzhou 5  — was the first human spaceflight mission of the People's Republic of China , launched on October 15, 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F launch vehicle. There had been four previous flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions since 1999...	Success	China's first manned spaceflight
12 October 2005, 01:00	Shenzhou 6 Shenzhou 6 Shenzhou 6 was the second human spaceflight of the People's Republic of China, launched on October 12, 2005 on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou spacecraft carried a crew of Fèi Jùnlóng and Niè Hǎishèng for five days in low Earth orbit...	Success	Second manned spaceflight, first with two crew members
25 September 2008, 13:10	Shenzhou 7 Shenzhou 7 - Backup crew :Of the back-up crew, only Chen Quan had not previously flown in space.- Mission highlights :The Long March 2F rocket launched the Shenzhou 7 into an initial elliptical orbit of 200 x 330 kilometres inclined at 42.4 degrees on 25 September 2008. About seven hours later the spacecraft...	Success	Third manned spaceflight, first with three crew members, first to feature Extra-vehicular activity Extra-vehicular activity Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
29 September 2011, 13:16	Tiangong 1 Tiangong 1 Tiangong-1 is a Chinese space laboratory module, and is an experimental testbed to demonstrate the rendezvous and docking capabilities needed to support a space station complex. Launched unmanned aboard a Long March 2F/G rocket on 29 September 2011, it is part of the Tiangong program, which aims...	Success	The first Chinese space station, with a modified version of Long March 2F
31 October 2011, 21:58	Shenzhou 8	Success	Unmanned spaceflight to test automatic rendezvous Space rendezvous A space rendezvous is an orbital maneuver during which two spacecraft, one of which is often a space station, arrive at the same orbit and approach to a very close distance . Rendezvous requires a precise match of the orbital velocities of the two spacecraft, allowing them to remain at a constant...  and docking, with a modified version of Long March 2F

Specifications

• Stage number: 0 - Strap-on boosters x 4
  • Gross mass: 41,000 kg
  • Empty mass: 3,200 kg
  • Thrust (vac): 4 x 814 kN
  • Isp: 291 seconds (2.9 kN·s/kg)
  • Burn time: 128 seconds
  • Diameter: 2.3 m
  • Span: 8.0 m
  • Length: 15.3 m
  • Propellants: N2O4
    Dinitrogen tetroxide
    Dinitrogen tetroxide is the chemical compound N2O4. It is a useful reagent in chemical synthesis. It forms an equilibrium mixture with nitrogen dioxide; some call this mixture dinitrogen tetroxide, while some call it nitrogen dioxide.Dinitrogen tetroxide is a powerful oxidizer, making it highly...
    
     / UDMH
    UDMH
    Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine is a toxic volatile hygroscopic clear liquid, with a sharp, fishy, ammoniacal smell typical for organic amines. It turns yellowish on exposure to air and absorbs oxygen and carbon dioxide. It mixes completely with water, ethanol, and kerosene. In concentration...
    
    
  • Engines: 1 x YF - 20B per booster = 4

• Stage number: 1 - Core stage
  • Gross mass: 196,500 kg
  • Empty mass: 9,500 kg
  • Thrust (vac): 3,256 kN
  • Isp: 289 seconds (2.8 kN·s/kg)
  • Burn time: 166 seconds
  • Diameter: 3.4 m
  • Length: 23.7 m
  • Propellants: N2O4 / UDMH
  • Engine: 4 x YF - 20B

• Stage number: 2 - Final stage
  • Gross mass: 91,500 kg
  • Empty mass: 5,500 kg
  • Thrust (vac): 831 kN
  • Isp: 289 seconds (2.8 kN·s/kg)
  • Burn time: 300 seconds
  • Diameter: 3.4 m
  • Length: 15.5 m
  • Propellants: N2O4 / UDMH
  • Engine: 1 x YF - 25/23