Long March 8 / 8A

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Long March 8 / 8A

Overview

Lower-cost commercial medium-lift rocket optimized for sun-synchronous and constellation deployment, central to China's GuoWang and other satellite-internet build-out.

The base Long March 8 debuted in December 2020; the upgraded 8A first flew in February 2025, flew the 600th Long March mission in October 2025 deploying GuoWang satellites, and flew the 661st cumulative Long March mission on August 4, 2026, delivering a 23rd GuoWang batch from Wenchang.

Key Specs

Payload to LEO

8,100 kg

Payload to SSO (700 km)

5,000 kg (8A: 7,000 kg)

Propellant

LOX/kerosene + LOX/LH2

First Flight

Dec 2020 (8A: Feb 2025)