Long March 12B completes inaugural launch

On June 1, 2026, China conducted the maiden flight of the Long March 12B Y1 launch vehicle from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone (Jiuquan). Liftoff occurred at 16:40 Beijing Time and successfully delivered the tenth batch of satellites for the Qianfan (Spacesail) constellation into their designated orbits to provide commercial internet services. The mission marked both the inaugural flight of the Long March 12B and the 647th flight of the Long March launch vehicle family. According to Chinese authorities, the launch was successful. 1

The Long March 12B was developed by a commercial subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), It is presented as a new-generation reusable commercial launch vehicle designed to support the growing demand for large satellite constellations. The rocket features a two-stage configuration powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants. Measuring approximately 72 meters in length, with a core diameter of 4.37 meters and a 5.2-meter payload fairing, it is described by its developers as the largest single-core rocket currently in service in China. The first stage is powered by nine liquid oxygen-kerosene engines, while the second stage uses a vacuum-optimized engine for operations at higher altitudes.2

The Long March 12B was developed for large-scale commercial missions and is capable of delivering approximately 20 metric tons to low Earth orbit. According to program officials, this capability is intended to support the deployment of large satellite networks such as the Qianfan constellation. The vehicle was designed from the outset with reusability in mind, although no first-stage recovery attempt was conducted during this inaugural mission. A first-stage return test is planned for a future flight.3

Programme officials have also highlighted several technical improvements designed to make the rocket more reliable and cost-efficient. These include smarter onboard systems for detecting faults in real time, a modern data network to manage information across the vehicle, and engineering refinements to squeeze more payload capacity out of each flight. 4

For comparison, the Long March 12B operates in a payload class similar to that of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, with an advertised low Earth orbit capability of around 20 metric tons. However, unlike the Falcon 9, which routinely performs first-stage recoveries, the Long March 12B has not yet demonstrated reusability in flight and remains in the early stages of its operational validation process.