The Long March 12A (, abbreviated LM-12A or CZ-12A), is a Chinese reusable medium-lift launch vehicle carrier rocket. The rocket has two stages and its first stage is designed to be reused after stage-recovery via propulsive landing. Both stages of the rocket will use methane (CH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX) for propulsion. The rocket is manufactured by Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST).
The first flight occurred on 23 December 2025 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with a successful orbital launch but the first-stage recovery was unsuccessful.
Rocket Characteristitcs
The project that eventually led to the current CZ-12A was initiated in 2021 under the codename "XLV21"; reusability was part of the original goals of the project although the initial design of the future rocket was more ambitious than the current Long March 12A (the future CZ-12B may meet the original project goals).
First stage
The Long March 12A's first stage hull is composed of 2219 aluminum alloy, a legacy from the standard Long March 12's first stage hull. However, unlike the CZ-12, the "A" variant employs