SPACE LAUNCH REPORT 
           CZ-12A Launch Vehicle Flight History by 
                 Variant/Year (1957-Present)
         by:  Ed Kyle, Last Update December 24, 2025

        L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures)  

       CZ-12A    
Year   L(F)    L(F)    L(F)    L(F)    L(F)    L(F)   L(F)   L(F)  
------------------------------------------------------------------
2025   1(0)    
------------------------------------------------------------------
       CZ-12A    
       L(F)    L(F)    L(F)    L(F)    L(F)    L(F)   L(F)   L(F)  
------------------------------------------------------------------
Suborb  -       -       -       -       -       -      -      -
Orbit  1(0)    
Totals 1(0)    
------------------------------------------------------------------

Footnotes:

"CZ" = Chang Zheng (Long March) 
CZ-12A = A Methane/LOX 2-stage rocket using 3.8 m diameter tanks. 
         Began flying from new commercial pad at Jiquan in 2025.
         First stage is designed to reenter and land downrange.


                             CZ-12A 
                    Vehicle Configuration

------------------------------------------------------------------
                  LEO            GTO           Height    GLOW
                 (tonnes)       (tonnes)      (meters)  (tonnes)
                 [1] LEO reuse
                 [2] SSO reuse
                 [3] LEO expend
==================================================================
CZ-12 (2-stg)     6 t[1]                       70.4 m   437 t
                  3 t[2]
		  9 t[3]
==================================================================

================================================================== 


                      CZ-12A Vehicle Components

------------------------------------------------------------------
           3.8 m      3.8 m       4.2      5.2 m           
           Stg 1      Stg 2       PLF      PLF    
==================================================================
Dia (m)    3.8 m      3.8 m       4.2 m    5.2 m  
Len (m)        m          m           m        m    
Mb/o (t)       t          t           t        t   

Mp(t)          t          t  
 
GLOW (t)       t          t

Engine     7x          1xYF209V
           Longyun 70         
Mfgr              

Fuel       Methane     Methane               
Oxidizer   LOX         LOX               

T(SL t)             
T(Vac t)   525 t       96 t       

ISP(SL s)                
ISP(Vac s)          

Tburn (s)  
   
No. Eng    7          `            
==================================================================




                  CZ-12A LAUNCH HISTORY

DATE     VEHICLE    ID      PAYLOAD          MASS(t) SITE    ORBIT
------------------------------------------------------------------
12/23/25 CZ-12A     Y1     Demo, 2 objects           JQ DC1    LEO
------------------------------------------------------------------

[CZ12A-Y1] 12/23/25 0200.  Demo launch from new Dongfeng 
           Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone at Jiuquan.  
           Successfully reach LEO, with 2 object tracked in 
           203 x 241 km x 69.71 deg.  
           First stage downrange landing attempt failed.  One of 
           three planned engines failed during entry burn.  Stage 
           plummeted to impact.  


JQ = Jiquan, China
DC1 = Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone, Pad 1
      40.891 N, 100.217 E

LEO - Low Earth Orbit
SSO - Sun Synchronous Orbit
CSS - China Space Station orbit
GTO - Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
GEO - Geosynchronous Orbit
TLI - Trans Lunar Orbit
HCO - Heliocentric Orbit
[FTO] - Failed to Orbit



                    CZ-12A LAUNCH VEHICLE
                          by Ed Kyle

CZ-12A is a 3.8 m diameter, two-stage, LOX/methane-fueled launch 
vehicle.  It uses seven Longyun 70 first stage engines and a 
single YF209V second stage engine.  

The first stage is designed to reenter and land downrange.  This 
is facilitated by restartable engines designed to perform entry 
and landing burns, along with four steering grid fins and four 
deployable landing legs. 


References

Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database 
    "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html"
Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/"
Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space"