Overview
- CASC announced the maiden Long March 12B lifted off from Jiuquan on Monday, June 1, and deployed operational Qianfan (Thousand Sails) broadband satellites to orbit.
- The rocket is described as a two-stage, 72-meter vehicle with nine YF-102R first-stage engines and a roughly 20,000 kilogram low-Earth-orbit payload capacity.
- CASC said the debut did not attempt first-stage recovery and that a future flight will test recoverability, leaving reusability unproven for now.
- Two days earlier a Long March 2D launched four direct-to-device test satellites to validate mobile-phone broadband links and space-ground network integration, with craft developed by CASC, CASIC and Hongqing Technology.
- China’s launch tempo is rising toward more than 100 flights this year as state and commercial actors scale megaconstellations to challenge established providers and raise questions about notification practices and safety for air and maritime traffic.