China has recovered the first stage of a Long March-10B carrier rocket using a net system at sea – a world first for reusable rocket technology.

The launch took place from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in south China, sending a satellite into preset orbit.

About six minutes later, the rocket booster was captured by a cable recovery system on a specially designed vessel off the coast of Hainan.

The mission marks China's first controlled recovery of a rocket's first stage and the world's first rocket recovery using a net system.