China Launches New Reusable Rocket to Accelerate Satellite Deployment
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4 Articles
China Launches New Reusable Rocket to Accelerate Satellite Deployment
China Launches New Reusable Rocket to Accelerate Satellite Deployment - The Long March 12B carried satellites for the Qianfan low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation, bringing its total number of satellites to 164
The debut of the Long March 12B attracted attention not only by putting a new Chinese rocket in orbit, but by the way it happened. On June 1, 2026, China launched the vehicle from Jiuquan, in the Gobi desert, with real satellites of the Qianfan constellation on board and without trying to recover... The post The surprise launch in the Gobi desert that revealed Chinese pressure by more satellites appeared first on The Antagonist.
Published on: 05.06.2026 11:25Author: Patrick KlapetzThe new partially reusable launcher took off on 1 June 2026 and transported two internet satellites into space.China is thus expanding its Qianfan network and is increasingly competing with SpaceX Starlink.
In June 2026, China rolled its brand-new Long March 12B onto a pad in the Gobi Desert, told no one, loaded the maiden flight with paying customers' satellites — and the rocket built to land its booster never even tried.
China launched its new Long March 12B rocket for the first time on June 1, 2026, and did something almost no other space program would attempt: it put paying customers on the maiden flight. The rocket flew without the customary public airspace notices and delivered operational satellites for the Qianfan broadband megaconstellation on its very first ride. The decision says less about confidence in the hardware than it does about how much pressure…
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