science

Long March 8

Long March 8 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Long March 8 rather than just read about it. In short: Long March 8 (Chinese: 长征八号运载火箭) is an orbital launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology to launch up to 5000 kg to a 700 km altitude Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). Design The rocket is based on the Long March 7 with its dual engine first stage and single engine boosters, along with the existing liquid hydrogen burning third stage of the Long March 3A/3B/3C and 7A as its second stage.

Key takeaways

Long March 8 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Long March 8 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Long March 8 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Design The rocket is based on the Long March 7 with its dual engine first stage and single engine boosters, along with the existing liquid hydrogen burning third stage of the Long March 3A/3B/3C and 7A as its second stage. Whereas the LM-7 uses 4 boosters, the LM-8 normally uses just 2. The boosters are omitted in the "core only" variant that first flew on its second launch in February 2022. In 2018 it was planned that a future launch vehicle variant of the Long March 8 will be partially reusable by featuring a combined booster recovery of the first stage and the boosters as a single unit.

History The maiden flight of the Long March 8 was launched on 22 December 2020 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. The "core only" variant first flew in February 2022.

CZ-8A variant

An upgraded version of the Long March 8, the Long March 8A (Chinese: 长征八号甲运载火箭), has successfully debuted on February 11, 2025 with increased capability of up to 7 tonnes to a 700 km altitude sun-synchronous orbit. Its hydrolox 2nd stage has a larger diameter (to match the 3.35 meters diameter core stage), and has 2 upgraded versions of the YF-75D engines (known as the YF-75H) with increased thrust to 10 tonnes each through measures such as increased turbopump speeds. According to a public announcement published by China's bureau of procurement on its information platform in June 2026, the China Academy of Sciences has applied for the single-source procurement of a Long March launch vehicle to launch the Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry Observatory (liekly for a Long March 8A to launch in 2030). The prospective contract amount is for 245.2 million RMB (about $36.1 million at 2026 exchange rate). The Long March 8A can also use a larger 5.2 meters diameter payload fairing.

Launch statistics

List of launches

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Long March 8

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Long March 8 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Long March 8 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Long March 8 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Long March 8

In research: Long March 8 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Long March 8 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Long March 8 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2020 in China, 2020 in spaceflight, Long March (rocket family), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Long March 8 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Long March 8 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Long March 8 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Long March 8 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Long March 8 in simple terms?

Long March 8 (Chinese: 长征八号运载火箭) is an orbital launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology to launch up to 5000 kg to a 700 km altitude Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). Design The rocket is based on the Long March 7 with its dual engine first stage and single engine boost…

Why does Long March 8 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Long March 8?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Long March 8.