China In Photo: Making History! China Achieves First-Ever Controlled Rocket Recovery

China’s historic sea-based rocket recovery puts spotlight on local shipbuilder

After China became only the second nation after the US to achieve the controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster, the spotlight has fallen on the domestic shipbuilder behind the design of the recovery platform. Following the maiden launch of China’s reusable Long March-10B rocket on Friday, the vehicle’s first-stage booster returned vertically and was caught by the Linghangzhe recovery platform, China’s first sea-based rocket recover…

China In Photo: Making History! China achieves first-ever controlled rocket recovery

China successfully launched the Long March-10B carrier rocket at the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province on Friday, achieving its first-ever controlled recovery of a carrier rocket's first stage.

Major Breakthrough: CZ-10B Threads the Needle for Net Recovery, But What Remains for Private Rockets?

The Long March 10B first-flight recovery on July 10 represents more than a technical achievement it signals a fundamental shift in China aerospace industrial structure. Built by CASC, the rocket literally threaded the needle by descending through a narrow opening in the Navigator recovery vessel capture tower before being caught by the tension net system. The success raises a pressing strategic question: as China state-owned enterprise now posse…