China achieved a milestone in reusable rocket technology Friday, recovering the first-stage booster of its Long March-10B carrier rocket following the vehicle’s maiden flight, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed via CGTN. The rocket lifted off from Pad No. 2 at the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, successfully delivering a satellite to its preset orbit. Roughly six minutes after liftoff, the booster was captured by a cable recovery system aboard a specially designed vessel, Linghangzhe ("Pathfinder"), stationed in waters off Hainan—marking the world’s first successful rocket-booster recovery using a net-and-cable system, and China’s first reusable booster recovery of any kind.
The Long March-10B is a reusable two-stage, five-meter-diameter vehicle sharing its first-stage core with the Long March-10A. Seven liquid oxygen-kerosene engines power the booster, while a liquid oxygen-methane engine drives the upper stage. In reusable configuration, it can carry up to 16 tonnes to low-Earth orbit—intended chiefly for deploying large satellite constellations and other commercial payloads at reduced cost.
Unlike SpaceX’s Falcon 9 or Blue Origin’s New Glenn, both of which land on deployable legs, the Long March-10B’s booster deploys a hook mechanism that engages tensioned cables on the recovery platform, transferring most of the deceleration load to ground-based infrastructure rather than the vehicle itself. Once captured, auxiliary cables stabilize the booster against wave and wind motion before an automated locking platform clamps it in place for transport—a concept Blue Origin itself proposed in 2017 but never flew.
Friday’s flight followed a December 2025 delivery of the Linghangzhe platform and a February at-sea splashdown test validating the capture process ahead of Friday’s full-scale attempt. CASC engineers said they will continue refining the system, with a first booster reflight targeted by year’s end.
