Abstract: Following the successful maiden flight of the Long March 11 (LM-11) launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in September 2015, the first sea-launched carrier rocket dedicated to provide a launch service for small satellites and their constellations, the Long March 11 Sea Launch (LM-11SL) has been under development by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) and the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC). It is planned to commence launch service in 2018. Based on the LM-11, a land-launched four-staged solid launch vehicle which has entered the market and accomplished launch missions for several small satellites in the past 3 years, the newly adopted sea launch technology enables transport and launch of LM-11SL from maritime ships, providing flexible launch location selection.
After inheriting the mature launch vehicle technologies from previous members of the Long March launch vehicle family and adopting a new way of launching from the sea, the LM-11SL is capable of sending payloads into low Earth orbits with all altitudes and inclinations, from 200 km to 1000 km, from equatorial to sun synchronous, within a shortduration launch campaign. The LM-11SL provides a flexible, reliable and economical launch service for the global small satellite industry.