China successfully tests sea-based rocket booster recovery system
The test used a sea-based net-capture system and marks China’s first successful first-stage recovery, state media said.
- On Friday, China successfully tested an experimental rocket retrieval system, recovering a Long March 10B booster on a sea platform six minutes after liftoff from Hainan, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
- China has spent nearly a decade developing reusable rocket technologies to lower launch costs for satellite constellations, following failed recovery attempts by Private Chinese firms and state-owned firms last year.
- Unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9, which lands on deployable legs, the Long March uses 'landing hooks' to catch a net on a sea platform, recovering the engine-packed booster viewed as the most valuable rocket component.
- Shares in Chinese aerospace firms China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications jumped following the test, while China plans to reuse the recovered booster for another launch by year's end.
- As part of the Long March 10 family developed for crewed lunar missions before 2030, this successful test provides critical data to validate technologies relevant to the broader Chinese lunar programme.
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China Achieves First Reusable Rocket Landing, State Media Says
Can China catch up in the race for reusable rockets? Its latest launch suggests the gap may be narrowing faster than many expected.China has successfully landed a reusable rocket for the first time, marking a major milestone for its growing space ambitions. The Long March 10B lifted off from Hainan before its booster separated. Just minutes later, it descended vertically and was safely recovered on a floating platform.Why Does This Matter? Tradi…
China has successfully returned a launch vehicle to orbit for the first time, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, as it seeks to break the US dominance in the field of rocket reuse.
China announced a significant step in reusable rocket technology after successfully launching its new generation Long March-10B carrier rocket. The launch successfully delivered the payload into space, and the detached section landed as planned on a sea platform.
During the first launch of the Long March 10B, the country successfully returned the first stage after the cargo had been placed in orbit using a sea-based platform.
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