China completed the test of a self-developed, reusable and sub-orbital vehicle on Friday, marking the country's first successful test flight of its kind.

The vehicle was launched "vertically" from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to its developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

The vehicle lifted off after inspection and maintenance, and then completed the suborbital flight in accordance with the set procedure and landed "stably and horizontally" at Alxa Right Banner airport in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. 

The successful test of a fully reusable rather than a single-use vehicle is a further showcase of the great leap forward that China has made in space transportation technology.