China has achieved its first successful controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster with the Long March 10B, using a pioneering sea-based net capture system.

This breakthrough places China alongside the United States in reusable rocket technology and marks a major step toward lowering launch costs and supporting future lunar missions.

The Long March 10B rocket lifted off from the Hainan commercial space launch site at 12:15 p.m. local time. About six minutes after stage separation, the booster returned vertically and was successfully recovered on an offshore platform. This marked China’s first retrieval of an orbital-class rocket booster, a milestone in its decade-long effort to develop reusable launch systems.

The rocket was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and is capable of carrying 16 tonnes to low-Earth orbit in reusable configuration. Standing approximately 63 metres tall and five metres in diameter, it has a lift-off thrust of about 890 tonnes and a lift-off mass of 760 tonnes. The maiden flight also successfully placed its payload into orbit, confirming the reliability of the system.

Unlike SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which lands autonomously on deployable legs on pads or drone ships, the Long March 10B employed a net-and-hook capture system mounted on a sea platform. Engineers explained that net-based recovery simplifies the rocket’s onboard structure, reduces weight, and increases payload capacity.

It also provides greater tolerance for landing deviations, effectively enlarging the capture window. The recovery vessel, named Linghang Zhe (“Navigator”), was equipped with hydraulic damping and LiDAR tracking to absorb the rocket’s kinetic energy and ensure precise capture.

This achievement comes more than a decade after SpaceX’s first orbital booster recovery in 2015 and Blue Origin’s New Glenn landing in 2025. SpaceX now launches Falcon 9 rockets about 150 times annually, reusing boosters dozens of times.

China’s success demonstrates its determination to break U.S. dominance in reusable launch systems and signals its entry into the elite group of nations capable of orbital-class booster recovery.

Shares of Chinese aerospace firms surged following the announcement, with China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications hitting daily trading limits. The breakthrough is expected to accelerate China’s commercial satellite deployment, particularly for its expanding low-Earth orbit constellations, and reduce launch costs significantly.

Private Chinese firms such as LandSpace have also attempted reusable rocket recoveries but failed in their final landing stages. The Long March 10B’s success provides valuable data for both state and private players, strengthening China’s competitive position in the global space race.

The Long March 10 family is being developed for China’s crewed lunar missions planned before 2030. The technologies validated in this test will directly support the lunar programme, with the booster stage scheduled for reuse in another launch by the end of 2026. This positions China to accelerate its ambitions for sustainable, cost-effective space exploration.

Agencies