China Successfully Tests Rocket Recovery System, Eyes SpaceX's Falcon 9-Style Reusability

Last Updated:July 10, 2026, 14:47 IST

Recovering and reusing rocket stages helps lower launch costs by allowing the most expensive components of the launch vehicle to be flown multiple times.

China successfully carried out the country’s first controlled recovery of a carrier rocket’s first stage on Friday, marking a significant step forward in its reusable space technology programme.

The milestone was achieved during the launch of the experimental Long March-10B rocket, which lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site in southern China at 12:15 pm local time (0415 GMT).

According to state broadcaster CCTV, the rocket’s first stage separated from the upper stage shortly after launch and returned about six minutes later. The booster made a vertical descent and was recovered on an offshore platform using a net-capture system.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua confirmed that both the launch and the booster recovery were successful.

“This mission marked China’s first successful controlled recovery of a carrier rocket’s first stage, representing a major breakthrough in the country’s reusable rocket technology," the news agency added.

Recovering and reusing rocket stages helps lower launch costs by allowing the most expensive components of the launch vehicle to be flown multiple times.

Long March-10B vs Falcon 9

The Long March-10B is a reusable liquid-fuel commercial launch vehicle measuring around 63 metres in height and five metres in diameter. It has a liftoff mass of about 760 tonnes, generates nearly 890 tonnes of thrust, and can carry up to 16 tonnes of payload to low Earth orbit (LEO) in its reusable configuration.

The rocket is frequently compared with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, a reusable two-stage launch vehicle designed to transport people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond.

Falcon 9 stands 70 metres tall with a diameter of 3.7 metres. It has a liftoff mass of more than 549,000 kg and can carry up to 22,800 kg to low Earth orbit.

SpaceX achieved the first successful landing of a Falcon 9 booster after an orbital mission in December 2015. Blue Origin followed with the successful recovery of its New Glenn rocket in November 2025.

According to a Reuters report, SpaceX launches Falcon 9 around 150 times a year, roughly three missions every week, and its boosters can be reused dozens of times.

Why The Long March-10B Test Matters

China has been working on reusable rocket technology for nearly a decade. Last year, attempts by private company LandSpace and the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation failed to complete the final stage of booster landing and recovery.

China plans to reuse the recovered Long March-10B booster for another launch before the end of this year.

News world China Successfully Tests Rocket Recovery System, Eyes SpaceX's Falcon 9-Style Reusability

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