Overview
- China’s Long March 10B launched from Hainan and, on Friday, July 10, 2026, deployed a satellite while its first stage returned vertically and was caught on a floating platform.
- State media and the manufacturer say the booster was captured by a net on the ship using four hooks rather than landing legs, a method Chinese outlets called a world first for net‑based recovery.
- Video released by CCTV‑affiliated accounts shows the stage descending with engine smoke and being secured on the platform roughly six minutes after stage separation.
- Engineers must inspect the recovered hardware, measure engine and structural wear, and demonstrate successful reflights before routine, cost‑saving reuse can be claimed.
- If repeated and proved reliable, the technique could cut launch costs and speed delivery of Chinese satellite constellations and lunar mission hardware, narrowing a capability gap with U.S. reusable‑rocket operators.