China's Long March-12B Rocket Completes Maiden Flight

Jiuquan, China — China successfully launched the Long March-12B Y1 carrier rocket into space from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation zone in northwest China on Monday. The rocket was launched at 16:40 Beijing time, carrying a group of network satellites destined for the Qianfan Constellation, also known as the Spacesail Constellation, into their predetermined orbit. The mission was declared a complete success.

This mission marks the maiden flight of the Long March-12B rocket and the 647th flight of the Long March launch vehicle series. Developed by a commercial rocket manufacturing company under the auspices of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the Long March-12B is a new generation of reusable rocket. Although no recovery tests were conducted during this mission, CASC stated that first-stage recovery tests are scheduled to take place at a later date.

With a single-core, two-stage configuration, the rocket features a body diameter of 4.37 metres, a fairing diameter of 5.2 metres, and a total length of approximately 72 metres. The first stage is powered by nine liquid oxygen/kerosene engines, while the second stage utilises a single high-altitude engine. With a low-earth orbit payload capacity of approximately 20 tonnes, the rocket is capable of adapting to various types of orbital missions. According to CASC, the mission signifies that China has added a new commercial rocket to its fleet to facilitate the construction of large-scale internet constellations.