China achieves reusable rocket breakthrough with Long March-10B

China on Friday recovered the first stage of the Long March-10B carrier rocket following its maiden flight, marking a new milestone in the country's development of reusable launch technology.

The rocket lifted off from launch pad No.2 at the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, sending a satellite into preset orbit.

Around six minutes after lift off, the reusable component - the first-stage booster - was captured by a cable recovery system on board a specially designed vessel in waters off Hainan.

The mission marked the world's first successful recovery of a carrier rocket using the net system and China's first maritime recovery of a rocket booster.

Designed as a reusable two-stage launch vehicle with a five-meter diameter, the Long March-10B shares its first-stage core with the Long March-10A. The booster is powered by seven liquid oxygen-kerosene engines, while the upper stage uses a liquid oxygen-methane engine, enabling the recovery of the rocket's first stage while it accurately delivers payloads into orbit.

With a reusable payload capacity of up to 16 tonnes to low-Earth orbit, the Long March-10B is designed to support the deployment of large satellite constellations and other commercial launch missions while helping to reduce launch costs.

According to the development team, the maiden flight also validated a range of key technologies, including booster recovery, sea-based capture and a full-profile flight mission. Engineers will continue refining the rocket's reusable technologies and aim to conduct the first reflight by the end of the year.

The success of Friday's mission represents the culmination of a series of key preparations. The seaborne recovery platform, Linghangzhe (Pathfinder), was delivered in December 2025 (link 1) followed by a sea splashdown test in February (link 2) to validate the recovery process before attempting a full booster capture.

The recovery net system

Unlike most reusable rockets, which return using deployable landing legs, the Long March-10B utilizes net-capture recovery approach that shifts much of the recovery function to ground-based infrastructure.

As the booster descends into the recovery zone, a hook mechanism mounted on the rocket deploys before making contact with tensioned cables on the recovery platform. The booster is then gradually slowed down and captured by the onboard mechanism and recovery net system.

Once captured, the cable system absorbs the remaining kinetic energy, reducing the impact loads on the vehicle.

The booster is then stabilized in two stages. Auxiliary cables first secure the vehicle against movement caused by waves and wind. An automated locking platform moves beneath the booster, clamping it firmly into place for transport.