China has officially joined the elite group of space-faring nations capable of recovering orbital-class rocket boosters, marking a significant breakthrough in the country’s pursuit of reusable launch systems. On Friday, the Long March 10B rocket successfully lifted off from the Hainan commercial space launch site at 12:15 p.m., completing its mission to place a satellite into a designated orbit.
In a notable departure from the autonomous vertical landings pioneered by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin—which rely on deployable landing legs—the Chinese mission utilized a distinct retrieval method. Around six minutes after the booster separated from the rocket’s upper stage, it descended vertically toward an offshore platform and was captured by a net-based retrieval system using four hooks.
Chen Muye, an expert from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, noted that this specific approach offers several technical advantages. By simplifying the rocket’s onboard structure and reducing its overall weight, the design could potentially enhance payload capacity. Furthermore, Muye explained to state media agency Xinhua that the system is highly adaptable to landing-point deviations, as the coordinated net setup expands the effective capture window.
This achievement follows nearly a decade of intensive research and development aimed at lowering launch costs and bolstering China’s commercial satellite networks. Previous attempts by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and private firm LandSpace had encountered failures during final landing stages last year. Following the success of the test, shares in various Chinese aerospace firms, including China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications, saw a surge, reaching their daily trading limits.
The Long March 10B is designed to carry at least 16 metric tons into low-Earth orbit, positioning it as a competitor to the SpaceX Falcon 9, which holds a maximum payload capacity of 22.8 metric tons. Data gathered from this flight is expected to support the broader Long March 10 family, which China is developing for planned crewed lunar missions scheduled before 2030. SpaceX, which first achieved a successful booster landing in December 2015, currently maintains a high flight frequency, launching its Falcon 9 rockets approximately 150 times per year with frequent reuse of individual boosters.
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