Chinese launch vehicle factory numbers

[Liss]

Has anybody tried to collect factory numbers of Chinese launch vehicles?

For example, for CZ-2C I've seen images with numbers Y802504, Y802706, Y902009 and Y903210 (that's from October 1992 with Freja).

For a CZ-3 -- Y801303.

For two CZ-3A -- Y901201 and Y901302.

For a CZ-2D -- 4902Y.

[Satori]

Hi Liss!

Are you refering to individual launchers, like serial numbers for each rocket?

[Liss]

Are you refering to individual launchers, like serial numbers for each rocket?

Yes, to serial numbers that were usually written on the vehicle till mid-1990s at least. For example, 2703X on a FB-1.

[VR2]

From images:
CZ-2C: Y802403, Y802805
CZ-4A: 801H (?)

[Liss]

From images:
CZ-2C: Y802403, Y802805
CZ-4A: 801H (?)

Thank you, VR2. May I ask if the second CZ-2C number is clearly visible? The first number fits the picture perfectly but my understanding is that the second one should be either Y802605 or Y802808.

[VR2]

From images:
CZ-2C: Y802403, Y802805
CZ-4A: 801H (?)

Thank you, VR2. May I ask if the second CZ-2C number is clearly visible? The first number fits the picture perfectly but my understanding is that the second one should be either Y802605 or Y802808.

The second CZ-2C number is not 100 % clearly visible. Good visible is Y_02_05. Second bad visible number is 8 or 6 (logically 6 - Y802605).

[Liss]

The second CZ-2C number is not 100 % clearly visible. Good visible is Y_02_05. Second bad visible number is 8 or 6 (logically 6 - Y802605).

So I guess we have a reasonably full list of classical CZ-2C factory numbers based on images...

1982.09.09
1983.08.19
1984.09.12 -- Y802403
1985.10.21 -- Y802504
1986.10.06 -- Y802605
1987.08.05 -- Y802706
1987.09.09
1988.08.05
1990.10.05 -- Y902009
1992.10.06 -- Y903210
1993.10.08

The 1987-1988 and 1993 numbers can be easily guessed; the 1982-1983 numbers may have 1 as the third digit (or may not?)

[VR2]

For a CZ-3 -- Y801303.

This number is correct?
From "your" video another number 801201H

[Liss]

For a CZ-3 -- Y801303.

This number is correct?
From "your" video another number 801201H

I believe 801201H was the number for the first CZ-3 launched in Jan 1984; I've seen an image of another CZ-3 with the number ending in 303, most probably for the Mar 1988 launch. Can't find right now what's the source for the full Y801303 number.

[Liss]

Short number for CZ-2C launched at 12 Nov 2009 was Y21,
and short number for yesterday's CZ-3C was Y2.

Still don't know serial numbers of Shanghai-built CZ-2D and CZ-4C launched in December 2009.

[E.P. Grondine]

Have any of you broken out yearly production capacities for any of the Chinese plants? Please excuse me for this question, but I've had a stroke, and can not do this kind of work myself anymore.

My current assumptions are a new plant for the core for CZ5, and existing plants converted over to boosters for the CZ5, and those boosters also used for new propellant versions of the smaller 2F class launchers.

Working from announced new payloads and existing asset replacement rates, and launch pad utilization, it should be possible to end up with a pretty good forecast for some years to come.

[limen4]

Short number for CZ-2C launched at 12 Nov 2009 was Y21,
and short number for yesterday's CZ-3C was Y2.

Still don't know serial numbers of Shanghai-built CZ-2D and CZ-4C launched in December 2009.

09.12.2009  CZ-2D  Y10
15.12.2009  CZ-4C  Y4

Source: China Aerospace Philately Association

[Liss]

Thank you limen4.
Unfortunately the 'official' list of covers at http://www.cspaonline.cn/produce.php?job=news seems to froze on September 17...

[limen4]

Thank you limen4.
Unfortunately the 'official' list of covers at http://www.cspaonline.cn/produce.php?job=news seems to froze on September 17...

Hi Liss,
please find attached images of CSPA issued items commemorating the launch dates which you mentioned. The text of the reverse side contains the Y-numbers of the launch vehicles.

[E.P. Grondine]

Breaking out rocket frame production is one thing, breaking out engine production rates yet another.

[Stan Black]

Is it correct that the first four orbital launches of CZ-2 had DF-5 serial numbers?

http://www.sinodefence.com/strategic/missile/df5-launches.asp
http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/cz-2.htm
http://www.9ifly.cn/sub/viewthread.php?tid=407&page=3&authorid=1812&sid=5oe1Qj

[limen4]

Is it correct that the first four orbital launches of CZ-2 had DF-5 serial numbers?

http://www.sinodefence.com/strategic/missile/df5-launches.asp
http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/cz-2.htm
http://www.9ifly.cn/sub/viewthread.php?tid=407&page=3&authorid=1812&sid=5oe1Qj

I remember that the first four CZ-2 are indeed converted DF-5. This goes back to a decission made by Zhou Enlai in 1973.

[Stan Black]

I've just tried using Google to search in Chinese! And this is what I found…

估计三颗IGSO一起打了，长征三号A火箭16/17/18在3号发射工位发射，时间正好。

现在卫星还不知道质量怎么样呢，怎么可能发双星？长征三号A火箭Y19看来留给中星20A卫星了。

http://www.9ifly.cn/sub/viewthread.php?tid=3747&extra=page%3D12&page=4&sid=W18h8Y

CZ-3A
Y16 BeiDou-2 IGSO
Y17 BeiDou-2 IGSO
Y18 BeiDou-2 IGSO
Y19 ZhongXing-20A

[Liss]

CZ-3A
Y16 BeiDou-2 IGSO
Y17 BeiDou-2 IGSO
Y18 BeiDou-2 IGSO
Y19 ZhongXing-20A

Y16 has already flown, Y19 is expected in a couple of days.

[Stan Black]

My attempt at a list of CZ-2C rockets!

Date & Time 发射日	Launch Site     发射场	Rocket Configuration 运载火箭	Serial  Number	Payload 有效载荷	Orbital Name 卫星
1982-09-09 07:18	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y1 遥一	Jianbing 1 尖兵一号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 4 返回式卫星 第4颗
1983-08-19 06:00	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y2 遥二	Jianbing 1 尖兵一号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 5 返回式卫星 第5颗
1984-09-12 05:43	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y3 遥三	Jianbing 1 尖兵一号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 6 返回式卫星 第6颗
1985-10-21 05:04	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y4 遥四	Jianbing 1 尖兵一号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 7 返回式卫星 第7颗
1986-10-06 05:40	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y5 遥五	Jianbing 1 尖兵一号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 8 返回式卫星 第8颗
1987-08-05 06:37	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y6 遥六	Jianbing 1 尖兵一号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 9 返回式卫星 第9颗
1987-09-09 07:15	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y7 遥七	Jianbing 1A 尖兵一号甲	Fanhui Shi Weixing 10 返回式卫星 第10颗
1988-08-05 07:28	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y8 遥八	Jianbing 1A 尖兵一号甲	Fanhui Shi Weixing 11 返回式卫星 第11颗
1990-10-05 06:14	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y9 遥九	Jianbing 1A 尖兵一号甲	Fanhui Shi Weixing 12 返回式卫星 第12颗
1992-10-06 06:14	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y10 遥十	Jianbing 1A 尖兵一号甲	Fanhui Shi Weixing 14 返回式卫星 第14颗
1993-10-08 08:00	Jiuquan 酒泉二号场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙	Y11 遥十一	Jianbing 1A 尖兵一号甲	Fanhui Shi Weixing 15 返回式卫星 第15颗
2004-08-29 07:50	Jiuquan SLS, LC2 酒泉新场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y12 遥十二	Jianbing 4 尖兵四号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 19 返回式卫星 第19颗
2005-08-02 07:30	Jiuquan SLS, LC2 酒泉新场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y13 遥十三	Jianbing 4 尖兵四号	Fanhui Shi Weixing 21 返回式卫星 第21颗
2004-04-18 15:59	Xichang, LC3 西昌三号发射工位	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（加长）	Y14 遥十四		Shiyan Weixing 1 试验卫星一号
2004-11-18 10:45	Xichang, LC3 西昌三号发射工位	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（加长）	Y15 遥十五		Shiyan Weixing 2 试验卫星二号
2006-09-09 01:15	Jiuquan SLS, LC2 酒泉新场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y16 遥十六		Shijian 8 实践八号
			Y17 遥十七
2007-04-11 03:27	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y18 遥十八		Haiyang 1B 海洋一号乙
2009-04-22 02:55:04,562	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y19 遥十九	Jianbing 7 尖兵七号	Yaogan Weixing 6 遥感卫星六号
			Y20 遥二十
2009-11-12 02:45:04	Jiuquan SLS, LC2 酒泉新场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y21 遥二十一		Shijian 11 01 实践十一号01星
			Y22 遥二十二
			Y23 遥二十三
2011-07-29 07:42:03,570	Jiuquan SLS, LC2 酒泉新场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y24 遥二十四		Shijian 11 02 实践十一号02星
2011-07-06 04:28:03,993	Jiuquan SLS, LC2 酒泉新场区	Chang Zheng 2C 长征二号丙（再加长）	Y25 遥二十五		Shijian 11 03 实践十一号03星
Date & Time 发射日	Launch Site     发射场	Rocket Configuration 运载火箭	Serial  Number	Payload 有效载荷	Orbital Name 卫星
1997-09-01 14:00:15,7	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/FP 长征二号丙（加长）FP	Y1 遥一	Iridium-MFS 1/2 铱星模拟星
1997-12-08 07:16	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/FP 长征二号丙（加长）FP	Y2 遥二	Iridium 42/44 铱
1998-03-25 17:01	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/FP 长征二号丙（加长）FP	Y3 遥三	Iridium 51/61 铱
1998-05-02 09:16	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/FP 长征二号丙（加长）FP	Y4 遥四	Iridium 69/71 铱
1998-08-19 23:01	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/FP 长征二号丙（加长）FP	Y5 遥五	Iridium 76/78 铱
1998-12-19 11:39:43,801	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/FP 长征二号丙（加长）FP	Y6 遥六	Iridium 88/89 铱
1999-06-11 17:15:33,924	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/FP 长征二号丙（加长）FP	Y7 遥七	Iridium 92/93 铱
Date & Time 发射日	Launch Site     发射场	Rocket Configuration 运载火箭	Serial  Number	Payload 有效载荷	Orbital Name 卫星
2003-12-29 19:06:18	Xichang, LC3 西昌三号发射工位	Chang Zheng 2C/SM 长征二号丙（加长）SM	Y1 遥一	Tance 1 探测一号
2004-07-25 07:05	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/SM 长征二号丙（加长）SM	Y2 遥二	Tance 2 探测二号
Date & Time 发射日	Launch Site     发射场	Rocket Configuration 运载火箭	Serial  Number	Payload 有效载荷	Orbital Name 卫星
2008-09-06 03:25:07	Taiyuan, LC7 太原	Chang Zheng 2C/SMA 长征二号丙（再加长）SMA	Y1 遥一		Huanjing 1A 环境一号甲星 Huanjing 1B 环境一号乙星

http://www.9ifly.cn/thread-407-4-1.html
http://www.lib.cas.cz/space.40/INDEX1.HTM
http://space.skyrocket.de/
http://cn.cgwic.com/LaunchServices/LaunchRecord/LongMarch.html