China successfully launched the Long March-12A rocket on its first mission

The Long March-12A Y1 rocket launched from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in north-western China and completed its maiden flight on Tuesday morning. The second stage of the rocket successfully entered its preset orbit, while the return of the first stage did not achieve the expected results. The exact causes of the failure are now under further investigation and analysis.

Long March-12A Y1 is China's second liquid oxygen and methane rocket, which has been experimentally tested for the possibility of reusing the first stage. The rocket is approximately 70.4 metres long, has a launch weight of around 437 tonnes, a diameter of 3.8 metres for both stages, and a fairing diameter of 4.2 metres.

Although the return of the first stage was not entirely successful, the mission provided key engineering data on the rocket's real flight conditions, which is an important basis for future launches. The development team will conduct a comprehensive review, identify the cause of the failure, optimise the return scheme, and continue to verify the reusability of the rocket technology.

CMG