The Long March 12 (, abbreviated LM-12 for export or CZ-12 within China), is a Chinese medium-lift launch vehicle carrier rocket. Both stages use liquid fuel: refined kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX). The manufacturer is Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. It is capable of placing at least of payload in low Earth orbit and at least in a Sun-synchronous orbit. Its first launch took place on November 30, 2024 from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Site on Hainan island.
There is also a reusable version of the rocket, the CZ-12A. This variant conducted a first flight on 23 December 2025; it successfully reached orbit although the initial first-stage recovery attempt was not successful. A commercially-oriented reusable variant named the CZ-12B is also under development and its first flight is anticipated to occur in 2026.
On 26 February 2024, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) released its annual "Blue Book" which detailed the company's launch plans for the coming year; one of the projects revealed in the Blue Book is the new Long March 12 medium-lift rocket. Long March 12 (CZ-12) is designed as a two-stage rocket: its first stage is powered by four YF-100K 1250 KN engines using RP-1 and liquid oxygen while its second stage is powered by two YF-115 180 kN engines also using RP-1/LOX. The rocket offers two payload fairing choices, one with a diameter of 5.2 metres and another with a diameter of 4.2 metres.
CZ-12 has a stage diameter of 3.8 metres, a first for China. It is launched from the new commercial launch site located at China's coastal spaceport in Wenchang.
The maiden launch of the new rocket occurred at 14:25 UTC on 30 November 2024 from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Site. There were two payloads on the launch: the âÂÂSatellite Internet Technology Test Satelliteâ and the âÂÂTechnology Test Satellite-3âÂÂ. Notably, this launch featured the new YF-100K rocket engine in its initial orbital launch attempt; the engine is a critical component of the under-development superheavy-lift Long March 10 lunar rocket. In addition, the maiden launch of the CZ-12 also constitutes the debut launch from the new Hainan commercial launch site.
SAST introduced a variant with a reusable first stage: the Long March 12A (CZ-12A) on 23 December 2025. The initial attempt to recover the first-stage of the new rocket during its December 2025 first flight was not successful although the rocket successfully placed a mass simulator in orbit. The CZ-12A employs rocket engines based on methane for fuel and liquid-oxygen for the fuel's oxidizer; the CZ-12A's methane-based first-stage engines are built by commercial providers.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Commercial Rocket Co., Ltd. (CACL) is also developing a more powerful variant of the CZ-12A carrier rocket, currently known as the Long March 12B. CACL is an R&D and operations oriented commercial joint venture that appears to operate under the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). A static fire test of the CZ-12B first stage took place on 16 January 2026 at the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone within the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China; first launch of the rocket is anticipated to occur in 2026.