Long March 12B | Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10)
First test launch of CASC/CACL’s Long March 12B rocket; carried a batch of 2 operational Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies with funding backed by the Shanghai local government.
Initial constellation will consist of 1296 satellites by 2027 with long term plans to expand it to 12000 satellites.
Long March 12B/Changzheng 12B (LM-12B/CZ-12B) is a reusable orbital launch vehicle developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Commercial Launch Vehicle Group (CACL), a subsidiary company of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The rocket is based on the Long March 12, but extensively re-designed for first stage re-usability, and use of gas generator cycle kerosene/liquid oxygen powered rocket engines in both stages. The first stage uses 9 YF-102R engines and the second stage uses 1 YF-102V engine, both from CASC's Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology (AALPT). On launch missions where the first stage is recovered, it will land on a down-range landing pad located in Minqin County, Gansu Province.
When is the Long March 12B | Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10) launch?
What rocket is being used for Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10)?
Where is the Long March 12B | Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10) launching from?
What orbit is Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10) going to?
Who is launching Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10)?
Can I watch the Long March 12B | Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10) launch live?
Mission Profile
Demo Flight (SpaceSail Polar Group #10) was a Long March 12B mission operated by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation that lifted off from Long March 12 series Pad, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on June 1, 2026. The flight carried its payload on a test flight mission to Polar Orbit. The mission flew on first stage LM-12B F1. The launch was a success.