Overview
- Recovery teams on February 13 retrieved the Long March‑10 first stage from the sea after its controlled splashdown, marking China’s first maritime booster recovery.
- During the February 11 flight from a new Wenchang launch pad, a Mengzhou test capsule executed a maximum‑dynamic‑pressure abort and parachuted to a designated splashdown zone.
- The prototype booster continued flight, performed reentry burns with multiple engine restarts and a hover ignition, then splashed down near a recovery vessel for rehearsed capture operations.
- China’s human spaceflight authorities said the mission verified first‑stage ascent and recovery performance, escape and sea recovery of the spacecraft, and system interface compatibility, providing engineering data for future crewed lunar missions.
- Officials and industry reporting indicate the program is proceeding to a full orbital Long March‑10A launch with a Mengzhou spacecraft later in 2026 as part of a roadmap targeting a crewed lunar landing by 2030.