The maiden flight of the Long March 12B rocket was a success, showcasing multiple new technologies
The Long March 12B launch vehicle successfully completed its maiden flight, with Qianfan Constellation network satellites accurately entering orbit Dual upgrades in lightweight design and intelligence—learn about the highlights of this reusable new-generation rocket
The Long March 12B Yao1 launch vehicle recently completed its maiden flight in the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone and placed the tenth batch of Qianfan constellation networking satellites into the planned orbit, with the mission a success.
This type of rocket was developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Commercial Rocket Co., Ltd. It is about 72 meters tall, with a body diameter of 4.37 meters. Its first stage uses a parallel layout of nine liquid oxygenkerosene engines. It has a payload capacity of no less than 20 tons to low Earth orbit and is a newgeneration, reusable fourmeterclass singlecore launch vehicle.
The article notes that one of the main features of the Long March 12B rocket is its lightweight design. The development team reduced weight by optimizing the cable network, fairing materials, and body structure, among other measures, to improve transportation and launch efficiency.
Another major feature is its high level of intelligence. The rocket has flight control centers on both the first and second stages, enabling realtime computation and information exchange; meanwhile, the flight control software has fault diagnosis and reconfiguration capabilities, allowing it to make adjustments to anomalies during flight. The article also mentioned that the rocket uses TSN timesensitive networking technology to improve the realtime performance and reliability of onboard data transmission.