China Successfully Tests Sea-Based Recovery of Long March 10B Rocket Booster

China has conducted a successful experimental test of a rocket recovery system that employs a net installed on a maritime platform. This development aims to challenge the current American dominance in reusable rocket technology.

The Long March 10B rocket launched from the commercial space launch site on Hainan Island in southern China at 12:15 p.m. Beijing time. Approximately six minutes after the booster separated from the upper stage, it returned vertically and landed on a sea platform where it was retrieved using the net, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.

This marks China's first attempt to recover an orbital-class rocket, positioning the country closer to developing fully reusable rockets. Following the test, shares of Chinese space companies surged, with stocks of China Spaces and China Satellite Communications reaching their daily trading limits.

The Long March 10B's capabilities are comparable to the Falcon 9 rocket produced by the American company SpaceX. Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a state-owned entity, it can carry payloads up to 16 tons to low Earth orbit.

A key difference between the two rockets lies in their landing technologies. While Falcon 9 uses foldable landing legs, the Chinese rocket employs landing hooks to catch a net mounted on a sea platform. This approach aims to significantly reduce launch costs and enhance competitiveness in the global space market.

SpaceX currently dominates the reusable rocket market, conducting about 150 Falcon 9 launches annually—averaging three launches per week—with boosters reused dozens of times.

China has invested nearly a decade in developing reusable rocket technologies, progressing from low-altitude hover tests to attempts at recovering orbital boosters in recent years. Concurrently, Chinese private companies have intensified efforts to test their reusable rockets amid fierce global competition and government-supported initiatives to raise funding through initial public offerings.

Two previous attempts last year—one by the private company LandSpace and another by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation—failed to complete the landing and recovery phases.

This successful test is part of China's ambitious program to send astronauts to the Moon before 2030. Beijing plans to reuse the Long March 10 rocket booster on an additional flight before the end of the current year, as reported by the state broadcaster.