At 15:48 on January 19, 2026, 19 groups of satellite Internet low-orbit satellites were successfully launched aboard the Long March 12 (Yao-5) carrier rocket at the No. 2 launch station of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, and the satellites successfully entered the predetermined orbit.
This launch is the 12th launch of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site and its second launch in 2026. It is 18 kilometers away from the first launch in 2026 (at 23:25 on January 13, 2026, Satellite Internet Low Orbit Group 18 The satellite was successfully lifted off from the No. 1 launch station of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site aboard the Long March 8A Y7 carrier rocket, and the satellite successfully entered the predetermined orbit). Only 6 days have passed, indicating that the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site has basically achieved “double station relay” Normalized launches provide an initial realistic basis for continuous and high-frequency satellite network launches.
After this launch, the “GW” constellation low-orbit network satellite has been launched 19 times (1 time in 2024; 16 times in 2025; 2 times in 2026), sending a total of 154 satellites into space.
The rocket performing the launch mission this time is the Long March 12 carrier rocket. The Long March 12 carrier rocket was developed by the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology. It is my country’s first 3.8-meter-diameter single-core liquid launch vehicle. The Long March 12 was originally a plan that the Eighth Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology failed to bid for the Long March 10. In 2020, the Eighth Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology made the plan public under the tentative name of XLV20 and changed the rocket configuration to a polished rod configuration. The initial research on the Long March 12 launch vehicle is based on the research previously undertaken by the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology. In January 2024, XLV20 was officially named Long March 12. Compared with the positive foundation of Long March 8A, the road to project establishment of Long March 12 is relatively tortuous. The first stage of the Long March 12 launch vehicle has a diameter of 3.8 meters and is equipped with four pump-back liquid oxygen/kerosene engines YF-100J with a thrust of 1250 kN. YF-100J is a one-way swing behind the pump. Compared with YF-100, it has the advantages of small mass eccentricity, small swing envelope, and easy layout of swing components. The second stage of the Long March 12 launch vehicle has a diameter of 3.8 meters and is equipped with two YF-115B liquid oxygen/kerosene engines with a thrust of 180 kN. YF-115B adopts two-way swing in front of the pump and supports secondary start. The Long March 12 launch vehicle fairing comes standard with diameters of 5.2 meters and 4.2 meters, and can be adapted to multiple sizes according to different tasks. A very important feature of Long March 12 is the first use of coal-based aerospace kerosene to fly into space. Our country is a country “rich in coal and poor in oil”. Coal-based aerospace kerosene is more in line with our country’s national conditions and can better ensure the security of our country’s aerospace energy strategy. In addition, the Long March 12 uses a 4-meter-diameter rocket body. Before the Long March 12, my country’s liquid launch vehicles, except for the Long March 5, were basically 3.35-meter-diameter rockets. The Long March 12 broke through this rocket body diameter limit, increased the propellant loading by 30%, and improved the rocket thrust performance by about 108%. As of January 19, 2026, the Long March 12 carrier rocket has been launched a total of 5 times. The first launch was at 22:25 on November 30, 2024, when the satellite Internet technology test satellite and technology test satellite 03 were successfully sent into the predetermined orbit. The subsequent four missions launched satellite Internet satellites, which respectively sent satellite Internet low-orbit group 07 satellites (a total of 9 satellites), satellite Internet low-orbit group 13 satellites (a total of 9 satellites), and satellite Internet low-orbit group 16 satellites (a total of 9 satellites) into predetermined orbits. Among them, in the third launch mission, the Long March 12 carrier rocket performed a “zero window” launch for the first time; in the fourth launch mission, the Long March 12 rocket team further reduced the weight and simplified the final assembly operation to make the rocket state more streamlined and efficient. At the same time, in order to cope with the high-density launch requirements, the Long March 12 test team and Hainan Commercial Development Company further optimized the launch process and shortened the launch cycle. All current launch missions of the Long March 12 are launched from Station 2 of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. However, according to the original design, the Long March 12 can also be transported by rail to other inland launch sites in my country. This has been repeatedly demonstrated and studied during the development process, and a large number of transportation tests have been conducted with the railway department.
