Sunrise Launch Delivers More GuoWang Satellites [Long March 12 Y4]
Wenchang's commercial launch site has hosted the delivery of GuoWang's sixteenth group into low Earth orbit.
With sunrise over Commercial Launch Pad 2 at the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, a Long March 12 lifted off at 07:00 am China Standard Time on December 12th (23:00 pm Universal Coordinated Time on December 11th), carrying another group of constellation satellites into low Earth orbit.
Those constellation satellites belong to GuoWang, being its sixteenth group, with nine being delivered1 to orbit. Producing this group was the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院微小卫星创新研究院).
With today’s Long March 12 launch, the constellation has 127 spacecraft in space and heading up to their operational orbits. The GuoWang (国网) constellation is operated by China Satellite Network Group, a state-owned enterprise, and wholly backed by the Chinese government. By the 2030s, up to 13,000 satellites could be in orbit, providing worldwide internet services; however, China-focused services are the immediate priority.
Two different satellite variants are believed to be in use for the GuoWang constellation, a larger version used on vehicles like the Long March 5B, while smaller ones are used when launched atop rockets such as the Long March 8A or Long March 6A. An electric propulsion system is in use due to operational orbits above 1000 kilometers, on the trapezoidal-shaped satellites2, with two solar panels for power.
In a blog post shared several hours after launch, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology noted that this Long March 12 launch took place thirty-two days after the last, both from Commercial Launch Pad 2. To achieve an almost-month turnaround, the Shanghai Academy says its launch and production teams have been ‘scientifically’ optimizing and improving mission preparation workflows, while maintaining the quality desired for a reliable launch vehicle. The Long March 12 has also been made lighter through a simplified assembly process, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
This mission was the 4th launch of a Long March 12 vehicle, the 253rd Long March vehicle launch from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, and the 616th launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 85th launch from China in 2025.
Liftoff video via 太空探索杂志 on Weibo and 海南商发 on WeChat.
Check out the previous Long March 12 launch
GuoWang Reaches 100+ Satellites Deployed With Wenchang Mission [Long March 12 Y3]
![GuoWang Reaches 100+ Satellites Deployed With Wenchang Mission [Long March 12 Y3]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l-py!,w_1300,h_650,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0a01207-6315-4cc7-b2cb-4c15fd87be93_6692x3241.jpeg)
A Long March 12 roared from Commercial Launch Pad 2 at the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site at 10:41 am China Standard Time (02:41 Universal Coordinated Time) on November 10th, carrying a group of satellites into low E…
What is the Long March 12?
This section is for those less familiar with China’s Long March series of launch vehicles.
The Long March 12 is a two-stage launch vehicle from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. Both stages of the launch vehicle burn rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen.
The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is currently as follows:
12,000 kilograms to a low Earth orbit
6,000 kilograms to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit
Four YF-100K engines power the first stage, generating a combined thrust of 510 tons while burning liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene. Two YF-115 engines power the second stage, generating 36 tons of thrust while also burning liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene.
On the launchpad, the rocket stands at 62.6 meters in height, while having a first and second stage diameter of 3.8 meters. Fully fuelled the Long March 12 is believed to weigh 433,000 kilograms. The fairing of the Long March 12 is also believed to have options for either a 3.8, 4.2, or 5.2-meter diameter, depending on the needs of the mission.
Currently, the Long March 12 has only flown from the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, on the east coast of Hainan province.
Following this launch, the Microsatellite Academy says they have had 238 of their satellites sent into space. The launch before this had that number at 229.
An alleged GuoWang satellite during production:
