China has become the second country after the United States to demonstrate reliable reusable rocket technology, successfully recovering the first stage of a Long March 10B carrier rocket following an orbital launch on Thursday.
The booster lifted off from the Hainan spaceport at 12:15 local time and, roughly six minutes later, returned vertically to a floating platform where it was captured using a net-and-hook system — a recovery method never before used on a first stage and distinct from SpaceX's legged-landing approach. The Long March 10B can deliver payloads of at least 16 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, and the mission placed a satellite into orbit. The recovery vessel Linghangzhe tracked and supported the operation.
The recovered booster is scheduled to fly again before the end of the year. Shares in Chinese space firms China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications rose 10% on the news.