BEIJING: A Chinese reusable rocket booster landed at sea for the first time Friday after the Long March-10B completed its maiden flight, state media reported.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said the rocket lifted off from Hainan, southern China, at 12:15 pm local time, or 9:15 am PKT.
The booster separated from the upper stage and returned vertically about six minutes later. A floating platform then recovered it using a sea-based net system.
The test marked China’s first controlled recovery of a reusable rocket booster. Anadolu reported that China became the second nation after the United States to achieve controlled launch vehicle recovery.
The Long March-10B can carry at least 16 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. Analysts have compared it with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which helped make booster reuse routine.
The Chinese system does not land the booster on a drone ship or ground pad like Falcon 9. Instead, landing hooks on the rocket catch a net attached to a floating platform.
SpaceX first landed a reusable Falcon 9 booster from an orbital flight in December 2015. Blue Origin followed with a New Glenn booster landing in November 2025.
Read: SpaceX Starship V3 Ends Test in Ocean Fireball
Chinese space shares rose after the recovery. China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications each gained 10%, the daily limit under Chinese market rules.
