HELSINKI — China is set to boost its space launch capabilities as preparations for the first launch of the Long March 12 are underway at a new commercial space launch center.
A ceremony for the rocket was held July 17, according to a press release from the state-owned Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), the rocket’s developer.
A date for launch was not given, but social media posts reveal flight hardware to be at the commercial space launch center at Wenchang, Hainan island. The Long March 12 could launch as soon as August. No payloads for the flight have so far been disclosed.
The two-stage, kerosene-fueled Long March 12 is reported to have a payload capacity of 12,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO), though earlier reports have cited 10,000 kg. Its capacity for sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is 6,000 kg.
The new launcher will boost China’s options for launching batches of satellites for various constellations. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), another state-owned rocket maker and, like SAST, operating under the umbrella of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is readying its improved Long March 8 for similar uses.
Additionally, the Long March 12 will be China’s first 3.8-meter-diameter rocket.
New engines, larger projects
The test flight will be the first flight use of the YF-100K engine. The YF-100K is an uprated version of the YF-100 kerosene-liquid oxygen engines that power China’s new-generation liquid propellant rockets. These newer rockets include the Long March 6, 7 and 8.
The Long March 12 uses four YF-100K engines on its first stage. Two YF-115 engines will power the second stage.
The YF-100K notably will power the first stages of the Long March 10 rocket. That launcher is intended to send China’s astronauts to the moon before the end of the decade. A reusable version, the YF-100N, is also being developed.
SAST has also revealed plans to develop reusable methane-liquid oxygen launchers. Last month it conducted China’s highest-altitude vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) test so far, using a 3.8-meter-diameter methalox test article.
The rocket is currently scheduled to have its first orbital flight in 2025. It is to be able to launch up to 6,500 kg of payload to 700-kilometer SSO, according to earlier reports.
The similar capabilities and the added reusability aspect of the new methane launcher raises doubts over how frequently the Long March 12 will fly. The latter rocket will, however, have played its part in paving the way for more ambitious projects.
China also faces a bottleneck in terms of access to launch pads. China’s commercial launch service providers are also vying for opportunities to launch from the commercial spaceport at Wenchang.
