Following the Guowang launch, China also launched the UAE’s Earth Observation Satellite (SEO) on a Long March 2C hypergolic rocket from Taiyuan, a move aimed at advancing UAE space capabilities and environmental management applications.

The Long March 12 mission lifted off from Hainan on August 16, continuing the program’s plan for around 13,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, though no detailed satellite imagery was released.

This mission employs YF-100K engines and operates under CASC’s China Commercial Rocket (CACL) umbrella, distinguishing it from other CASC entities like China Rocket Co. and the Jielong family.

The successful Long March 12 flight suggests the August 10 Long March 7A anomaly was not engine-related, though the 7A grounding could still affect GEO launch plans and the broader schedule, including reliance on the Long March 3B stage.

Looking ahead to 2026, China is expected to maintain high launch activity with potential missions such as Zhuque-3 and Galactic Energy’s Pallas-1 from the Jiuquan commercial launch zone.

China’s new batch of Guowang megaconstellation satellites was launched on the Long March 12, marking the 24th operational batch and bringing the total in orbit to 195 satellites for the program.

The UAE-NSSTC project, involving UAE University’s National Space Science and Technology Center in collaboration with the UAE Space Agency and Chinese partners, aims to provide data for environmental protection and resource management.