Long March 12

Long March 12
	Rendering of a Long March 12
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology
Country of origin	China
Size
Height	62 m (203 ft 5 in)
Diameter	3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Mass	433 t (954,602 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Altitude	200 km (120 mi)
Mass	12,000 kg (26,000 lb)
Payload to LEO
Altitude	300 km (190 mi)
Mass	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)
Payload to SSO
Altitude	700 km (430 mi)
Mass	6,000 kg (13,000 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Comparable	Long March 7; Long March 8; Angara A5; Ariane 6; Atlas V; Falcon 9; GSLV; H3; LVM3; Soyuz-2; Zenit 2;
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Wenchang Commercial, LC-2
Total launches	4
Success(es)	4
First flight	30 November 2024
Last flight	11 December 2025 (most recent)
First stage
Powered by	4 × YF-100K
Maximum thrust	5,000 kN (1,100,000 lbf)
Propellant	RP-1 / LOX
Second stage
Powered by	2 × YF-115
Maximum thrust	360 kN (81,000 lbf)
Propellant	RP-1 / LOX
	[edit on Wikidata]

The Long March 12 (Chinese: 长征十二号运载火箭; pinyin: Chang Zheng 12, abbreviated LM-12 for export or CZ-12 within China), is a Chinese medium-lift launch vehicle carrier rocket. Both stages use liquid fuel: refined kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX). The manufacturer is Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. It is capable of placing at least 12 tonnes (26,000 lb) of payload in low Earth orbit and at least 6 tonnes (13,000 lb) in a 700 kilometres (430 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit. Its first launch took place on November 30, 2024 from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Site on Hainan island.^[2]^[3]

There is also a planned reusable version of the rocket, the CZ-12A; efforts are currently underway to verify stage-reusability technology via vertical take-off, vertical landing (VTVL) tests.^[4]

History and details

CZ-12

On 26 February 2024, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) released its annual "Blue Book" which detailed the company's launch plans for the coming year; one of the projects revealed in the Blue Book is the new Long March 12 medium-lift rocket.^[2] Long March 12 (CZ-12) is designed as a two-stage rocket: its first stage is powered by four YF-100K 1250 KN engines using RP-1 and liquid oxygen while its second stage is powered by two YF-115 180 kN engines also using RP-1/LOX. The rocket offers two payload fairing choices, one with a diameter of 5.2 metres and another with a diameter of 4.2 metres.^[5]

CZ-12 has a stage diameter of 3.8 metres, a first for China. It is launched from the new commercial launch site located at China's coastal spaceport in Wenchang.^[6]

The maiden launch of the new rocket occurred at 14:25 UTC on 30 November 2024 from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Site. There were two payloads on the launch: the “Satellite Internet Technology Test Satellite” and the “Technology Test Satellite-3”. Notably, this launch featured the new YF-100K rocket engine in its initial orbital launch attempt; the engine is a critical component of the under-development superheavy-lift Long March 10 lunar rocket. In addition, the maiden launch of the CZ-12 also constitutes the debut launch from the new Hainan commercial launch site.^[3]

CZ-12A reusable variant

SAST introduced a variant with a reusable first stage: the Long March 12A (CZ-12A) on 23 December 2025. However, the initial attempt to recover the first-stage of the new carrier was not successful. The CZ-12A employs rocket engines based on methane for fuel and liquid-oxygen for the fuel's oxidizer; the CZ-12A's methane-based first-stage engines are built by commercial providers.^[7]

CZ-12B reusable variant

SAST is also developing a more powerful variant of the CZ-12A carrier rocket, currently knwon as the Long March 12B.^[7]

Launch statistics

1

2

3

2024

2025

2026

Failure
Partial failure
Success
Planned

List of launches

Flight Number	Serial number	Date/Time (UTC)	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Result	Note
1	Y1	30 November 2024 14:25	Wenchang Commercial, LC-2	Hulianwang Jishu Shiyan 5A JSW-03	LEO	Success	Maiden flight of Long March 12. - First flight of YF-100K engines. - First launch from WC-LC-2
2	Y2	4 August 2025 10:21	Wenchang Commercial, LC-2	Huliangwang × 9 (SatNet LEO Group 07)	LEO	Success
3	Y3	10 November 2025 02:41	Wenchang Commercial, LC-2	Huliangwang × 9 (SatNet LEO Group 13)	LEO	Success
4	Y4	11 December 2025 23:00	Wenchang Commercial, LC-2	Huliangwang × 9 (SatNet LEO Group 16)	LEO	Success

References

^ Clark, Stephen (December 2, 2024). "Over the weekend, China debuted a new rocket on the nation's path to the Moon". Ars Technica.
^ ^a ^b Jones, Andrew (26 February 2024). "China's 2024 space plans include 100 launches and moon sample return mission". spacenews.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b Jones, Andrew (30 November 2024). "China launches first Long March 12 from new commercial spaceport in boost for country's lunar plans". spacenews.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
^ Jones, Andrew (2 January 2025). "China to debut new Long March and commercial rockets in 2025". spacenews.com. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
^ "长征十二号运载火箭计划今年首飞". 新华网. 26 February 2024.
^ Jones, Andrew (29 February 2024). "China to debut new Long March rockets in 2024". space.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Re: Maiden - CZ-12A (Y1) - Jiuquan - December 23, 2025 (02:00 UTC) - Landing Failure". nasaspaceflight.com. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.

[1] Clark, Stephen (December 2, 2024). "Over the weekend, China debuted a new rocket on the nation's path to the Moon". Ars Technica.

[AJ-26022024-2] Jones, Andrew (26 February 2024). "China's 2024 space plans include 100 launches and moon sample return mission". spacenews.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.

[AJ-30112024-3] Jones, Andrew (30 November 2024). "China launches first Long March 12 from new commercial spaceport in boost for country's lunar plans". spacenews.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.

[AJ-02012025-4] Jones, Andrew (2 January 2025). "China to debut new Long March and commercial rockets in 2025". spacenews.com. Retrieved 3 January 2025.

[240226news-5] "长征十二号运载火箭计划今年首飞". 新华网. 26 February 2024.

[SC-29022024-6] Jones, Andrew (29 February 2024). "China to debut new Long March rockets in 2024". space.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

[NSF-23122025-7] "Re: Maiden - CZ-12A (Y1) - Jiuquan - December 23, 2025 (02:00 UTC) - Landing Failure". nasaspaceflight.com. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.

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v t e Long March (rocket family)
Rockets	Feng Bao 1 Long March 1 1D Long March 2 2A 2C 2D 2E 2F Long March 3 3A 3B 3B/E 3C Long March 4 4A 4B 4C Long March 5 5B Long March 6 6A 6C Long March 7 7A Long March 8 8A Long March 9 Long March 10 Long March 11 11H Long March 12 12A
Launch sites	Jiuquan Taiyuan Wenchang Commercial Xichang
Manufacturers	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology
Designers	Wang Xiji
List of Long March launches

v t e Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Ariane 6 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S Chollima-1 Electron Eris^† Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H3 HANBIT-NANO^† Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 KAIROS^† Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 6C 7 7A 8 11 11H 12 12A LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C New Glenn Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased Shavit 2 Simorgh SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB Spectrum^† SSLV Starship Tianlong-2 Unha Vega C Vulcan Centaur Zhuque 2E 3
In development	Antares 330 Bloostar Blue Whale 1 Ceres-2 Cyclone-4M Deca Eclipse Epsilon S Gravity-2 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kinetica 2 2H 3 KSLV-III Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 Miura 5 Neutron New Line 1 NGLV Nova OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Red Dwarf RFA One SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R Tianlong-3 VLM Vega E Zero Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV IV Heavy Diamant Dnepr Energia Epsilon Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIA H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 2-1v Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 RS1^† Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard Vega original VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^† 2
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)