Long March 12
The Long March 12 carrier rocket (Chinese: 长征十二号运载火箭), is a Chinese medium-lift launch vehicle currently under development by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. It will be capable of placing at least 10 tonnes of payload in low Earth orbit and at least 6 tonnes in a 700 km Sun-synchronous orbit. Its first launch is planned to take place in 2024 from the commercial pads at the Wenchang Space Launch Site.[1]
| Function | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| P176 | Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology |
| P495 |  People's Republic of China |
| Size | |
| P2048 | 59 m (194 ft) |
| P2386 | 3.8 m (12 ft) |
| P2067 | 433 t (955,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to 200 km low Earth orbit | |
| P2067 | 12,000 kg (26,000 lb) |
| Payload to 300 km low Earth orbit | |
| P2067 | 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) |
| Payload to 700 km Sun-synchronous orbit | |
| P2067 | 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Long March (rocket family) |
| Comparable | |
| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| Launch sites | Wenchang Commercial LC-2 |
| First stage | |
| P2386 | 3.8 m (12 ft) |
| P516 | 4 YF-100K |
| P2228 | Sea level: 5,000 kN (1,100,000 lbf) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| Second stage | |
| P2386 | 3.8 m (12 ft) |
| P516 | 2 YF-115 |
| P2228 | 360 kN (81,000 lbf) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
List of launches
| Serial Number | Flight number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y1 | 2024 | Wenchang LC-2 | TBA | LEO | Planned | Maiden flight of Long March 12. |
Overview
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.[1] Long March 12 (CZ-12) is designed as a two-stage rocket: its first stage will be powered by four YF-100K 1250 KN engines using RP-1 and liquid oxygen while its second stage will be 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.[2]
CZ-12 has a stage diameter of 3.8 metres, a first for China. It will be launched from the new commercial launch site located at China's coastal spaceport in Wenchang.[3]
See also
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References
- ^ 1.0 1.1 Jones, Andrew (26 February 2024). "China's 2024 space plans include 100 launches and moon sample return mission". spacenews.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "长征十二号运载火箭计划今年首飞". 新华网. 2024-02-26.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (29 February 2024). "China to debut new Long March rockets in 2024". space.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.