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 launchpad 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 liftoff, 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.