China tests Long March 12B reusable first stage at Jiuquan

by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 19, 2026
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp has carried out a static firing test of the first stage of its new Long March 12B reusable carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China.

The company said engines on the Long March 12B first stage were ignited on Friday afternoon and sustained combustion for a period while ground teams monitored performance and control parameters.

Engineers used the test to verify fueling, ignition and subsequent operating procedures for the new booster, confirming that propulsion and support systems worked stably and smoothly under planned conditions.

The successful run is intended to validate key elements of the rocket's design and pave the way for upcoming flight tests of the Long March 12B.

According to the company, the Long March 12B features two stages, each 4 meters in diameter, powered by engines burning liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants.

In its baseline configuration, the launcher is designed to deliver payloads with a combined mass of about 20 metric tons to low Earth orbit, placing it in the heavy medium-lift class for China's orbital fleet.

Industry sources cited by domestic media estimate that the Long March 12B will stand about 70 meters tall on the pad and will have a liftoff mass of around 700 tons when fully fueled.

The first stage is being developed for reuse and is designed to separate from the second stage, flip for reentry, and then fly back to a designated landing zone using aerodynamic grid fins for guidance and deployable landing legs for touchdown.

The new launcher follows the Long March 12A, China's first reusable rocket, which conducted its maiden flight from Jiuquan in late December.

On that flight, the Long March 12A second stage successfully placed its payload into the planned orbit, but the reusable first stage crashed near the intended recovery area in neighboring Gansu province.

Engineering teams are still investigating the causes of that failed recovery attempt, and experience from that mission is expected to inform refinements to the Long March 12B's reentry and landing systems.

China's state space contractor is positioning the Long March 12A and 12B as core elements of a new generation of reusable launchers intended to cut mission costs and increase launch cadence for government and commercial customers.