In what marks a significant yet partially challenging advancement for China's space endeavors, the Long March 12A rocket, designed for reusability, successfully reached low-Earth orbit on its inaugural flight. This mission, which happened on Monday, is the second this month for China, showcasing the country's ongoing efforts in developing reusable launch vehicles.
The Long March 12A soared into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:00 pm EST Monday (02:00 UTC Tuesday). Paralleling SpaceX's Falcon 9 in size, the rocket's performance captured attention globally. Notably, fewer than 10 minutes post-liftoff, its methane-fueled first stage narrowly missed achieving a controlled descent.
The booster rocket, intended for recovery, plummeted at supersonic speeds, diverging from its intended path about 200 miles from the launch site in China’s northwest. A professional inquiry by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is now underway, as the booster failed to successfully execute a braking burn needed for a precise landing near the Gobi Desert’s edge.
Nonetheless, the rocket's upper stage performed flawlessly, achieving what was characterized by CASC as the "predetermined orbit." This accomplishment underscores the mission's partial success, despite the setback with booster recovery. "The first stage failed to be successfully recovered," CASC clarified in a statement, indicating that detailed investigations are ongoing.
The incident draws parallels to a similar event earlier in the month involving the Zhuque-3 rocket, developed by the private Chinese company LandSpace. Like the Long March 12A, the Zhuque-3 achieved orbital insertion but faced challenges in successfully landing its first stage.
CASC remains optimistic, stating, "Although this mission did not achieve the planned recovery of the rocket’s first stage, it obtained critical engineering data under the rocket’s actual flight conditions, laying an important foundation for subsequent launches and reliable recovery of the stages." The corporation emphasizes its commitment to analyzing the failure, refining the recovery process, and furthering technological advancements for reusability.