Long March 12 to debut this year

Wider body will give country's new carrier rocket greater carrying capacity

China has developed a new type of carrier rocket that is expected to make its debut flight this year, according to a designer.

Zeng Wenhua, a structural designer at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, said on Monday that the research and development stage of the Long March 12, the latest model in the Long March family, has been completed at the academy, a subsidiary of State-owned conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

Assembly and testing of the first Long March 12 rocket is underway at the academy, she said, adding that the maiden flight has been scheduled to take place this year at the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan province. The center is under construction and is expected to start formal operations in June.