Translated with AI
On Tuesday, China successfully launched its Long March-12A rocket for the first time, but the attempt to return the first stage to Earth was unsuccessful, according to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
The 70.4-meter-tall Long March 12A launch vehicle is the tallest spacecraft ever built in China. The launch took place at 10:00 a.m. local time from the newly constructed launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia.
After a short flight, the rocket's second stage reached its designated orbital position, but the first stage failed to land at its designated location in Gansu Province. The China National Space Administration has launched an investigation into the failed return attempt.
During the flight, engineers obtained important technical data that will form the basis for subsequent launches and returns of reusable rockets.
The Long March 12A was developed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Space Technology, a subsidiary of the state-owned conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. This project marks the first state-owned spacecraft developed within the conglomerate.
The rocket's main body is 3.8 meters wide, and its fairing, which houses satellites or other payloads, is 4.2 meters in diameter. The rocket has a launch mass of 437 tons and is capable of placing at least 6 tons of payload into low Earth orbit.
China is striving to develop a fleet of reusable rockets, which will significantly reduce launch costs and increase the efficiency and frequency of space missions. Earlier this month, the Chinese commercial space company LandSpace launched the ZQ 3 reusable rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket reached orbit, but the first stage also failed to return to Earth.
The most famous reusable rocket in the world is SpaceX's Falcon 9, which has completed several launches using reusable boosters. Blue Origin, another American commercial company, successfully completed the first landing of the first stage of its New Glenn rocket during a recent mission. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin experienced numerous recovery failures before achieving success.
