Key Takeaways
- China successfully tested a sea-based rocket retrieval system using a net.
- The Long March 10B rocket lifted off from Hainan, recovering its booster on an offshore platform.
- This marks China's first successful recovery of an orbital-class rocket.
China has successfully tested a sea-based rocket retrieval system using a net attached to a sea platform. The test was conducted with the Long March 10B rocket, which lifted off from the Hainan commercial space launch site in southern China at 12:15pm (9:15am PKT).
About six minutes after separation of its booster and upper stage, the booster returned vertically and was recovered on an offshore platform. This marks a significant milestone for China as it aims to break US dominance in reusable rockets.
The test is part of China's efforts to develop reusable rocket technologies, which could lower launch costs for its rapidly expanding commercial satellite constellations. Shares in Chinese aerospace firms jumped on the news, with companies like China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications hitting daily limits.
The Long March 10B has been compared to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, a widely used medium-lift rocket. Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), it is capable of carrying a payload of at least 16 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. However, unlike the Falcon 9, the Long March 10B uses four 'landing hooks' to catch the net attached to a sea platform.
According to CALT’s expert Chen Muye, quoted by state agency Xinhua, ‘Net-based recovery helps simplify the rocket's onboard structure, reduces vehicle mass and increases payload capacity. It is also highly adaptable to landing-point deviations, as coordinated net systems can effectively expand the capture window.’
This test marks China’s first successful retrieval of an orbital-class rocket, putting it closer to developing reusable rockets. Private Chinese firms are stepping up efforts to test their reusable rockets amid intense global competition.
China plans to use the Long March 10B's booster stage again for another launch by the end of this year, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV. As part of the Long March 10 family being developed for China’s crewed lunar missions before 2030, the Long March 10B could also provide data and validate technologies relevant to the broader lunar programme.
