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Long March 12b

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space2 months ago•58 min saved

China fires off its new Long March 12B in a surprise maiden flight without safety alerts

China launched the Long March 12B, a reusable commercial rocket, on June 1, 2026 from Inner Mongolia to deploy a batch of Qianfan satellites. The maiden flight reportedly occurred without a public airspace warning, prompting questions about safety notifications; CASIC confirmed the launch after liftoff and plans a future first-stage recovery test. With ~22 tons to low-Earth orbit, the 12B advances China’s push to build satellite megaconstellations to rival SpaceX’s Starlink.

via Live Science|

#airspace-notices #china #long-march-12b

technology2 months ago•9 min saved

China eyes reusable rockets with surprise Long March 12B debut

China staged a surprise launch of the Long March 12B, a large, nine-engine booster aimed at future recovery, signaling a push by state-backed players toward reusable orbital launchers and echoing SpaceX‑style design trends.

via Ars Technica|

#china-space-industry #long-march-12b #reusable-rocket

launch2 months ago•13 min saved

China's Long March 12B makes surprise maiden flight, delivering Qianfan satellites to orbit

China launched the maiden flight of its reusable Long March 12B rocket from the Jiuquan launch site, placing satellites for the Shanghai-led Qianfan broadband megaconstellation into orbit with no advance warning; CASC said there was no first-stage recovery test on this mission but recovery work will happen later. The two-stage vehicle uses nine YF-102R engines and is aimed at ~20,000 kg to LEO, designed to lower launch costs and support multi‑orbit missions for China’s growing constellation programs (potentially adding up to about 180 Qianfan satellites).

via SpaceNews|

#casc #jiuquan-satellite-launch-center #launch