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Long March 12A First Reusable Launch: Orbit Success, Landing Failure

Insight23 Dec 2025

Space Technology

Long March 12A First Reusable Launch: Orbit Success, Landing Failure

China's Long March 12A rocket successfully reached orbit on Dec 22, but the first-stage recovery landing attempt failed.

The 70.4-meter Long March 12A, powered by methane-LOX engines with a 437-ton liftoff mass, completed its maiden flight. Though the first stage landed ~2 km off target, crucial engineering data was obtained for China's reusable rocket program. This follows Landspace's Zhuque-3 recovery attempt, marking continued progress in Chinese reusability efforts.

Application Note8 Dec 2024

Lunar Plasma

Rashid-1 Multi-Needle Langmuir Probe: An Engineering Playbook for Lunar Plasma

The UAE's Rashid-1 rover flew four Langmuir probes to map the photoelectron sheath at multiple heights with compact, low-power electronics.

The review covers the four-probe layout with guards and graphite coating, high-impedance TIAs with 1×/10× gain, a −10V to +10V bias sweep at 60 Hz–4 kHz, and calibration via sourcemeter, thermal-vacuum, and argon-plasma tests plus 3D PIC-based inversion.

Electric Propulsion: The Engine of a New Space Era

Insight26 June 2025

Space Technology

Electric Propulsion: The Engine of a New Space Era

Electric propulsion converts electrical power to thrust via ion and Hall thrusters, reshaping space exploration.

Electric propulsion represents a transformative leap for spaceflight, accelerating propellant via electrostatic or electromagnetic fields. Ion engines stand out for high efficiency and specific impulse, ideal for long-duration missions. By 2019, more than 500 spacecraft had adopted electric propulsion—missions such as NASA's Dawn and ESA's SMART-1 showcased its capability. Continuous low-thrust acceleration enables complex maneuvers and journeys to Mars and beyond.