Long March 9

Overview

Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle in development - a Starship-class methalox design intended for mega-constellations, lunar and Mars cargo, and future crewed deep-space missions.

Design centers on a reusable methalox first stage with 30 YF-215 engines. Large-diameter stainless-steel propellant tanks for the reusable stages have cleared manufacturing breakthroughs, with full-scale ground tests of major subsystems expected between 2026 and 2028. First flight is currently targeted around 2033.

Key Specs