Launch success, first stage landing attempt failed.
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China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLaunch Successful
Demo Flight
Long March 12A
Historical mission record
This page records Long March 12A | Demo Flight and its reported outcome: Launch Successful. The date above is a historical record.
Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.
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Mission status
Launch Successful
Status reported by the mission data provider.
LAUNCH SITEJiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Mission
First test launch of CASC/SAST’s Long March 12A rocket, with a dummy payload. The rocket’s 1st stage attempted to land on a landing pad about 300 km downrange of the launch site.
- Launch vehicle
- Long March 12A
- Mission type
- Test Flight
- Destination orbit
- Low Earth Orbit
- Launch pad
- Long March 12 series Pad
- Provider
- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
- Recovery
- Vertical Landing, The Long March 12A first stage booster performed its entry burn with issues and the booster crashed within several kilometers of the landing pad. +1
The vehicle
Published configuration and flight history.
Launch vehicle
Long March 12A
Long March 12A/Changzheng 12A (LM-12A/CZ-12A) is a reusable orbital launch vehicle developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The rocket is based on the Long March 12, but extensively re-designed for first stage re-usability, and use of gas generator cycle methane/liquid oxygen powered rocket engines in both stages. The first stage uses 7 Longyun-70 engines designed and manufactured by the private company Jiuzhou Yunjian (JZYJ), while the second stage uses 1 YF-209V engine from CASC's Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology (AALPT). On launch missions where the first stage is recovered, it will land on a down-range landing pad located in Minqin County, Gansu Province.
- Height
- 69 m
- Diameter
- 3.8 m
- Stages
- 2
- Recorded launches
- 1
- First flight
- 2025-12-23
Core
LM-12A F1
Flight 1NewLanding failed
- Recovery
- Long March 12A Landing Site
- Landing method
- Vertical Landing
Recorded timing
This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.
2h 20m windowPublished target
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Target ·
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Launch site & orbit
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
The mission in perspective
Launch site & orbit
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Coverage & sources
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Mission coverage
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Further reading
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