
On CNSA –China National Space Administration …. ChangZheng Long March 12 flight rocket …. At Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center. Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China … At 8:32 AM Beijing time on September 17, 2026, China successfully launched the 25th low-Earth orbit satellite internet constellation from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site using a Long March-12 Y9 carrier rocket. This launch was the 220th space launch globally in 2026, China’s 65th (5th this month), the 21st by the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology, and the 4th by the Long March-12

Long March 12 Carrier Rocket Successfully Launches 25 Low-Earth Orbit Satellites for Satellite Internet# At 8:32 AM on September 17, the Long March 12 carrier rocket ignited and lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, successfully sending 25 low-Earth orbit satellites for satellite internet into their predetermined orbits. The launch mission was a complete success.
The launch service was provided by China Commercial Rocket Company, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
The Long March 12 carrier rocket is a new generation cryogenic liquid propellant carrier rocket developed by the Eighth Academy of CASC, and is China’s first 4-meter-diameter, single-core stage carrier rocket.


This launch was the 667th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
The Long March 12 is my country’s first 3.8-meter diameter single-core liquid-fueled launch vehicle and the most powerful single-core rocket currently in service. It will be launched again this morning (September 17).

I. Model Positioning and Core Parameters
- Status and significance : The Long March 12 was developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and is China’s first 3.8-meter diameter (4-meter class) single-core liquid-fueled launch vehicle
- Basic configuration : It adopts a two-stage configuration, with a total length of approximately 62.6 meters and a takeoff mass of approximately 430 tons.
- Payload capacity : No less than 12 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and no less than 6 tons to 700 km Sun-synchronous Orbit (SSO), making it the most powerful single-core rocket in China to date.
- Fairing compatibility : Standard configuration includes 4.2-meter and 5.2-meter diameter fairings; multiple sizes can be adapted to meet mission requirements
II. Latest Launch Updates
- Today’s schedule : The Long March 12 Y9 and Y10 carrier rockets are scheduled to launch on the morning of September 17th from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site (or Wenchang Space Launch Site). The Y9 rocket was transferred to the launch pad on September 14th.
- Recent Success : At 12:10 PM on August 16, the Long March 12 Y8 rocket was launched from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, successfully sending 24 low-Earth orbit satellites for satellite internet into their predetermined orbits. The launch mission was a complete success.
- High-frequency launch schedule : This mission marks the 7th launch of the Long March 12 rocket, the 663rd flight of the Long March series, and the 3rd launch of this model in 2026, signifying that the rocket has fully entered a high-density commercial launch phase

III. Technical Features and Launch Mode
- Propulsion system : The first stage is equipped with four YF-100J post-pump glide liquid oxygen/kerosene engines with a thrust of 1250 kN, and the second stage uses two YF-115B engines. This is the first time that a 130-ton class post-pump glide liquid oxygen/kerosene engine and coal-based aerospace kerosene have been used.
- The “Three-Horizontal” Launch and Test Mode : This innovative mode, which involves horizontal assembly, horizontal testing, and horizontal transportation, allows the rocket to be propelled and launched in as little as three days after its relocation.
- First application of “zero-window” launch technology : significantly improves launch accuracy and mission adaptability
- Structural innovation : The use of new materials and technologies such as aramid paper honeycomb fairing and aluminum-lithium alloy storage tanks achieves a 10% weight reduction for the entire rocket

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration






















