Overview
- China’s Long March 10B completed its maiden orbital flight and, on Friday, its first stage was caught upright by the Linghangzhe recovery vessel after placing a satellite into its planned orbit.
- The booster was recovered using hooks that latched onto a tensioned net on a converted sea platform, a method that shifts mass and complexity from the rocket to the ship to preserve payload capacity.
- Guangzhou Shipyard International built the Linghangzhe from a barge and Chinese officials say this shipbuilding and recovery work will be expanded with more recovery vessels and additional Hainan launch pads.
- CASC and CALT have confirmed a reflighting program aimed at a first reflight by the end of the year and have accelerated plans for a modular Long March 10 series, including a methalox Long March 10C for commercial missions.
- Key questions remain about routine reuse: engineers must prove the condition and refurbishability of recovered boosters, the time and cost to turn them around, and whether the net method can scale to larger 10C‑class boosters.