China Reports Reusable Rocket Breakthrough as It Vies to Catch up with the US
The test used a sea-based cable-net capture and sent the satellite payload to orbit, a step toward reusable launch technology, state media said.
- On Friday, July 10, 2026, China launched the Long March-10B from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan Province, successfully recovering the rocket's first stage at sea using a cable net system aboard the vessel Linghangzhe.
- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation designed the recovery method without landing legs, differentiating it from American SpaceX's vertical touchdown approach to significantly lower launch costs and turnaround times.
- About six minutes after liftoff, the two-stage medium-lift rocket separated, allowing the booster to return to the vessel Linghangzhe for retrieval as the satellite payload reached its designated orbit.
- Beijing aims to establish itself as a "strong aerospace nation," competing with global rivals Elon Musk's SpaceX and Blue Origin while accelerating China's space access capabilities and critical satellite infrastructure.
- Following failed tests of other rockets in recent months, China plans to refly the recovered booster before the end of 2026 to tick off milestones in reusable launch technology.
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Beijing successfully launches a recovery technique on its Long March 10B rocket and plans to re-orbit the same thruster before the end of the year
China has successfully completed the first recovery of a reusable rocket and launches the challenge to SpaceX by Elon Musk. The Long March 10B rocket took off from the southern province of Hainan: about six minutes after the separation from the upper stage, the booster returned to Earth with a controlled descent and is [...] L'articolo Historic launch in China, recovered for the first time a reusable rocket: so Beijing SpaceX challenge by Elon M…
China reports reusable rocket breakthrough as it vies to catch up with the US
China has successfully recovered the first stage of a carrier rocket during an orbital launch test, state media reported Friday – a breakthrough for the country as it vies to catch up with American rivals in reusable rocket technology.
China lands a reusable rocket for the first time: Why this matters for the space race
Before China, only Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin demonstrated the ability to launch and land rockets. Here's how China’s technology differs from other reusable rockets and the strategic implications of its breakthrough.
China's state-owned space company reached a historic landmark by successfully landing the propellant of a Long March orbital rocket on a maritime platform. This feat places the Asian nation on the direct path...
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