Long March 12

The Long March 12 (LM-12, Chinese: 长征十二号运载火箭; pinyin: Chang Zheng 12, CZ-12) is a Chinese kerolox medium-lift launch vehicle manufactured by Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. Capable of placing at least 12 tonnes (26,000 lb) of payload in low Earth orbit (LEO) and at least 6 tonnes (13,000 lb) in a 700 kilometres (430 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit, it first launched in November 2024, from Wenchang Space Launch Site. The CZ-12 has flown six launches up to June 2026, all to LEO with a Guowang satellite internet constellation payload. Its first stage is powered by four YF-100K engines while its second stage is powered by two YF-115 engines. It is more economical than the medium-lift/heavy-lift Long March 7, which was designed to become human-rated. There are also two reusable versions of the rocket, Long March 12A and Long March 12B. The CZ-12A variant first flew in December 2025; it successfully reached orbit although the initial first-stage recovery attempt was not successful. The CZ-12B, a commercially-oriented variant, first flew in June 2026; first stage recovery was not attempted.