The latest launch schedule of China's commercial space industry has been exposed.

As the spring of 2026 arrives, China's commercial space sector has entered a period of intensive disclosure of the new year's launch plans.

On the 12th, the schedules for the maiden flights of two highly anticipated launch vehicles were officially confirmed. These include the mainstay of the "national team" and the pioneer of private space companies, adding new highlights to China's commercial space launch missions this year.

"Long March 12B" to Make Maiden Flight at Jiuquan in the First Half of the Year

Exclusive information obtained by a reporter from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily reveals that the Long March 12B (CZ - 12B) launch vehicle, developed under the overall responsibility of China Commercial Space Launch Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Commercial Space"), is scheduled to carry out its first launch mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the first half of 2026. This rocket uses a full liquid oxygen - kerosene propellant scheme.

The Long March 12B is a new - generation 4 - meter - class reusable rocket developed to meet the commercial launch needs such as low - orbit constellation networking in China. It adopts a two - stage configuration and a full liquid oxygen - kerosene power scheme, with a low - Earth - orbit carrying capacity of 20 tons.

Previously, on January 16, 2026, the rocket completed a full - scale static firing test at the R & D, testing, and launch station of China Commercial Space in the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Experimental Area. It comprehensively simulated the entire process of fueling, ignition, and timing control before a real launch, verifying the feasibility and reliability of the design of each system on the rocket.

It is worth noting that the Long March 12 series of rockets have currently formed a multi - model layout with differentiated technical routes. Among them, the Long March 12A (CZ - 12A) and the Long March 12B belong to different development entities, with clear distinctions in technical paths and positioning.

The reporter from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily noticed that the Long March 12A, developed under the overall responsibility of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, is a liquid oxygen - methane launch vehicle with the core feature of "first - stage reusability". It is also a recoverable model developed on the basis of the Long March 12 launch vehicle.

The rocket is about 70.4 meters long, with a diameter of 3.8 meters for both the first and second stages, and a fairing diameter of 4.2 meters. Its take - off weight is about 437 tons. Different from traditional rockets, the Long March 12A has implemented the concept of reusability since the design stage. The core components such as the first - stage rocket body and engine are developed according to the 50 - reuse standard, laying the foundation for long - term low - cost operation.

On the morning of December 23, 2025, the Long March 12A (CZ - 12A) launch vehicle successfully completed its maiden flight mission and achieved the goal of second - stage orbit insertion. However, the recovery verification of its first - stage rocket did not achieve the expected results. As China's second liquid oxygen - methane launch vehicle to attempt recovery on its maiden flight, this mission has accumulated valuable data and practical experience for the subsequent iterative optimization of relevant technologies.

China Commercial Space, the overall developer of the Long March 12B this time, is the core entity of the commercial layout of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Business registration information and official data show that the company was established on September 26, 2024, with a registered capital of 1.396 billion yuan. It is the operating entity for the development of commercial rockets and domestic commercial launch services of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, as well as the innovation entity in terms of technology, management, and models in the commercial space sector. It is committed to providing "one - stop" launch services and world - class flight - like transport rockets for global customers.

On the morning of January 27, China Commercial Space held its 2026 annual work meeting to plan and deploy key tasks for 2026. The meeting emphasized resolutely winning the battle for the maiden flight and recovery of the main rocket, making every effort to break through reusable technologies, and efficiently fulfilling the mission of commercial launches to make greater contributions to enhancing China's ability to access space on a large - scale and efficiently.

"Hyperbola 3" to Be Launched at the End of the Year, Aiming for Breakthroughs in "Orbit Insertion + Sea Recovery"

Meanwhile, the private space company iSpace also released key signals at the 2026 Shanghai Commercial Space Conference and Exhibition. Xie Hongjun, the deputy general manager of iSpace, said that the company's reusable Hyperbola 3 (SQX - 3) launch vehicle is expected to make its first launch at the end of 2026.

In February this year, iSpace announced that it had completed the second - stage work of the ground system joint commissioning at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, adding another key guarantee for the maiden flight mission of the Hyperbola 3 launch vehicle.

In the same month, iSpace completed a D++ round of financing, raising 5.037 billion yuan, setting a new record for a single - round financing of a Chinese private commercial space company.

Li Yongpeng, the deputy general manager and board secretary of iSpace, previously said that the Hyperbola 3 is a medium - to - large - sized reusable liquid launch vehicle with a diameter of 4.2 meters. The rocket has a take - off mass of 490 tons and adopts a two - stage configuration, with the first stage equipped with nine Focus 2 engines. The Focus 2 engine is currently the most powerful and technologically advanced reusable liquid oxygen - methane engine under development in China.

It is worth noting that the Hyperbola 3 is planned to carry out its maiden flight mission at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site and will adopt the sea recovery method.

Li Yongpeng told a reporter from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily in the second half of 2025 that it is expected that in the next one to two years, there will be significant progress in China's reusable rockets. With the development of reusable rockets, the situation of "more satellites and fewer rockets" in the next 2 - 3 years can be significantly alleviated.

Currently, China's commercial space sector has entered a critical window period for large - scale development. Public information from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that China has applied for more than 200,000 low - orbit satellite frequency and orbital resources. Large - scale constellation networking has created a rigid demand for low - cost, high - capacity, and high - frequency launch services.

As the launch windows of these two new rockets are gradually determined, the schedule for China's commercial space launches in 2026 is becoming increasingly tight. From the first half of the year to the end of the year, technology verification and regular launches will take turns.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Science and Technology Innovation Daily", author: Li Mingming. Republished by 36Kr with permission.