China completes first maritime recovery of rocket first stage

China successfully completed its first-ever maritime recovery mission of a rocket first-stage booster on Friday, marking a significant step forward in the development of reusable launch vehicle technology.

During a low-altitude demonstration and verification test of the Long March-10 launch vehicle system on Wednesday, the rocket carried out a demonstration flight and safely splashed down in the sea after completing its objectives. The test was conducted alongside a maximum dynamic pressure escape flight test of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft system.

On Friday morning, a maritime search and recovery team successfully retrieved the rocket's first-stage body from the sea. This marked the country's first operation to search for and recover a launch vehicle component at sea, a milestone seen as crucial to advancing reusable rocket technologies.

The Long March-10 launch vehicle is primarily designed to support China's crewed lunar exploration missions while also meeting the needs of near-Earth space station operations. Its derivative model, the Long March-10A, features a first-stage booster designed with reusability capabilities.