Long March-10B: China’s net-capture rocket joins space race with edge on SpaceX
Soon after launch, the first stage of the rocket returned vertically and was recovered via a sea platform, state media says
China on Friday became only the second nation in history to achieve the controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster, after successfully retrieving part of its Long March-10B reusable rocket during its maiden launch.
The Chinese rocket also offers a new reusable path to space flight, as Beijing doubles down on strengthening its commercial space sector amid an intensifying global race to the moon.
The 63-metre (207-foot) tall, 5-metre wide medium-lift rocket lifted off from the Wenchang space launch site in southern China at 12.15pm on Friday, sending its satellite payload into a predetermined orbit, according to state news agency Xinhua.
About six minutes after the first and second stages of the rocket separated, the first stage returned vertically and was caught by the Linghangzhe recovery platform, Xinhua said.
State broadcaster CCTV said the maiden flight validated the rocket’s design for first-stage reusability and was expected to help cut launch costs.
“Reusable rockets are a crucial pathway for large-scale, free access to space in the future, supporting the trend towards lower-cost, higher-frequency space launches,” Jiang Zhou, a structural systems expert at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), told China Space News on Friday.