China's Long March 12 Rocket Makes Maiden Flight from New Hainan Spaceport

Nov 30, 2024, 03:55 PM

China successfully launched its new Long March 12 rocket from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in Wenchang City, Hainan Province, on Saturday night. This marked the maiden flight of the Long March 12, which is a single-core stage liquid launch vehicle with a diameter of 3.8 meters, powered by six liquid oxygen/kerosene engines. The rocket successfully deployed two experimental satellites into their planned orbits: the Satellite Internet Technology Test Satellite and Technology Test Satellite 03. This launch also signified the debut mission of the Hainan spaceport, China's first dedicated commercial spaceport, highlighting the country's push towards commercial space operations.