China has successfully conducted a test of an experimental recovery system designed to retrieve rocket boosters using a network attached to a sea platform, state media reported on Friday. The achievement represents a key milestone in the country’s ambition to challenge U.S. dominance in the field of reusable space launch vehicles.<\/p>\n
According to China Central Television (CCTV), a Long March 10B rocket lifted off from a commercial spacecraft launch site in Hainan, located in southern China. Approximately six minutes after the separation of the booster unit and the upper stage, the booster returned vertically and was successfully recovered on a maritime platform.<\/p>\n
CCTV described the event as the first successful and controlled recovery of a rocket booster in China. The state broadcaster characterized the test as a significant breakthrough for the nation\u2019s reusable rocket technology.<\/p>\n
The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the rocket successfully delivered its payload into the designated orbit during its maiden flight. Following the separation of the first and second stages, the first stage returned and was caught by a network capture system on a sea platform, completing the recovery cycle.<\/p>\n
The Long March 10B is a liquid-fueled commercial launch vehicle standing approximately 63 meters tall with a diameter of 5 meters. It features a takeoff thrust of about 890 tons and a takeoff mass of approximately 760 tons. In its reusable configuration, the rocket is capable of carrying a 16-ton payload to low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n
The Long March 10B is part of a broader effort by China to modernize its orbital delivery systems. By utilizing liquid oxygen and kerosene or other liquid propellants, these vehicles offer the throttle control necessary for the precise vertical landings required for recovery. The use of a network capture system on a maritime platform is a specific technical approach to stabilizing the stage upon arrival, mitigating the risks associated with landing on a moving surface at sea.<\/p>\n
Reusable rocket technology is designed to lower the cost of space access by allowing expensive booster stages to be refurbished and flown multiple times rather than being discarded after a single use. This approach was pioneered globally by the American company SpaceX with its Falcon 9 rocket, which utilizes vertical landings on both land and autonomous spaceport drone ships.<\/p>\n
The Long March rocket family serves as the primary vehicle for China’s space program. Managed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the series has evolved to support a wide range of missions, including the assembly of the Tiangong space station and lunar exploration. The island province of Hainan is home to the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, China’s southernmost facility, which allows for flight paths over the ocean to ensure spent stages do not fall over populated land masses.<\/p>\n