China successfully executed its first controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket stage

China successfully executed its first controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket stage on July 10, 2026, using an experimental net capture system. 

Launched from the Wenchang site on Hainan Island, the Long March 10B booster performed a vertical descent six minutes post-separation, landing on a floating platform.This achievement marks a significant milestone for China’s aerospace program as it attempts to catch up to the reusable rocket capabilities of US companies like SpaceX. 

A New Approach to Reusability

Unlike the deployable landing legs used on SpaceX's Falcon 9, the 63.6-meter-tall Long March 10B features a world-first wire arrestment net-capture system.

• The Descent: Guided by grid fins and powered by seven kerosene-fueled engines, the booster steered its descent back to Earth.
• The Catch: Approximately six minutes after stage separation, the booster guided itself into a four-legged frame on the recovery ship Linghangzhe.
• The Mechanism: Tensioned cables arranged in a grid pattern caught the rocket via lightweight "landing hooks," leaving the booster safely suspended as its engines shut down.

By eliminating the dead weight of heavy landing legs, this net-capture design maximizes payload capacity, allowing the vehicle to carry up to 16 metric tons to low-Earth orbit.

Strategic Expansion in the Space Race

The mission's upper stage successfully continued into space, deploying a payload satellite designated as CX-26. State contractor China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) officially declared the flight a "complete success". Following the state broadcaster CCTV's announcement, shares of Chinese commercial aerospace firms—including China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications—surged to their daily trading limits.

The Long March 10B is a commercial variant of the broader Long March 10 architecture, which serves as the foundation for China’s goal to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. Validating this recovery technology lowers launch barriers and accelerates the deployment of China's mega-satellite constellations.

The state-owned developer plans to reuse this exact first-stage booster for another launch by the end of this year. CASC engineers are already preparing the recovered booster stage for a second test flight before the end of this year.