Overview
- China’s Long March 10B completed its maiden flight and returned its first-stage booster to an offshore platform using a net and four landing hooks, officials reported Friday.
- The launch also placed a satellite into its intended orbit, and state agencies described the recovery as a controlled, successful retrieval of an orbital-class booster.
- The Long March 10B is a two-stage, liquid-fueled launcher about 63 meters tall with a reusable configuration rated to carry roughly 16 tonnes to low Earth orbit.
- CASC and CALT say the net-capture approach reduces vehicle mass by avoiding landing legs and could raise payload capacity, but routine reuse, refurbishment time and recovery performance in bad weather remain unproven.
- Shares of Chinese aerospace firms rose on the news and officials have said the recovered booster is scheduled to fly again before the end of 2026, a step that would test whether the system can cut launch costs and support China’s commercial and lunar plans.