China recovers an orbital rocket booster for the first time

Overview

Updated Jul 10

For a decade, only American rockets had flown to orbit and brought their boosters back for reuse. On July 10, China joined them. Its new Long March 10B launched from Hainan, and 11 minutes later a sea platform caught the returning first stage in a net.

The Long March 10 family is the rocket China plans to ride to the Moon before 2030. Recovering and reusing its booster is how China hopes to make those launches cheaper and more frequent.

Why it matters

Reusable boosters cut the cost of reaching orbit, and China just proved it can build them, tightening the race to put astronauts back on the Moon.

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Key Indicators

2nd

Country to recover an orbital booster

The United States, through SpaceX and Blue Origin, was the only one before.

11 min

Liftoff to net capture

The booster was caught about six minutes after separating from the rocket.

16,000 kg

Reusable payload to low orbit

How much the Long March 10B can lift when its booster is recovered.

2030

Target for crewed Moon landing

China's stated deadline to land astronauts, using the Long March 10 family.

63 m

Rocket length

The Long March 10B is 5 meters wide and weighs 760 tonnes fueled.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Jiang Zhou

Structural systems expert, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Explaining the recovery to state media

Chen Muye

Expert, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

Describing the net-recovery method

Organizations Involved

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

State-owned aerospace contractor

Built and flew the Long March 10B

China's main state contractor for rockets, satellites, and crewed spacecraft, and the maker of the Long March family.

Timeline

December 2015 July 2026

2 events Latest: July 10th, 2026 · 2 months ago

July 2026
Long March 10B flies and its booster is caught in a net
Latest Milestone

China launched the Long March 10B from Hainan and captured the first stage on a sea platform 11 minutes later, its first orbital booster recovery.
July 10th, 2026 • 0415 UTC
December 2015
SpaceX lands the first orbital booster
Milestone

A Falcon 9 first stage returned and landed upright in Florida, the first orbital-class booster recovered.
December 22nd, 2015

Scenarios

China reflies a recovered Long March 10B booster in 2026

Possible Resolves by Jan 15, 2027

Discussed by: CASC statements reported by SpaceNews and Xinhua

CASC said it intends to reuse the first stage from the July flight before the end of the year. A successful second flight of the same hardware would prove the recovery method actually saves money, not just that the catch works once. A failed or slipped attempt would show the gap between catching a booster and reflying one.

China launches an uncrewed Mengzhou test on the Long March 10 line by end of 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: CASC lunar-program roadmaps cited by Space.com and Universe Today

The reusable 10B is a stepping stone to the crewed Long March 10, which must launch the Mengzhou capsule and Lanyue lander for a Moon landing. An uncrewed orbital test of Mengzhou would show the crewed program is on schedule. Delays here would cast doubt on the 2030 landing target.

China lands astronauts on the Moon before 2031

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2030

Discussed by: China Manned Space Agency; coverage in Space.com and SCMP

China has repeatedly stated it aims to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030. That requires the crewed Long March 10, the Mengzhou capsule, and the Lanyue lander all flying reliably. Reusable-booster progress supports the launch cadence, but the timeline leaves little margin for setbacks.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1961 to 1969

The US-Soviet race to the Moon (1969)

The United States and Soviet Union competed to land humans on the Moon, driven by rival deadlines and national prestige. Apollo 11 landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in July 1969. The Soviet crewed lunar effort never reached the surface.

Then

The US claimed the landing; the Soviet program quietly wound down.

Now

Moon landings became a benchmark of technological standing between rival powers.

Why this matters now

China's 2030 goal and NASA's Artemis plans revive that rival-deadline dynamic, with reusable rockets now part of the contest.

April 1981 to July 2011

The Space Shuttle promises cheap reuse (1981)

NASA flew the first reusable orbital vehicle, promising airliner-like turnaround and low costs. In practice, refurbishing each shuttle took months and ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars per flight. The system flew 135 missions over 30 years.

Then

Turnaround times and costs came in far above early projections.

Now

The program showed that reusable hardware does not automatically mean cheap launches.

Why this matters now

It is the cautionary case for the Long March 10B: recovering a booster is the first step, not proof of lower cost.

December 2015

SpaceX lands its first orbital booster (2015)

After two crashes on ocean drone ships earlier that year, a Falcon 9 first stage returned from an orbital launch and landed upright at Cape Canaveral. It carried 11 ORBCOMM satellites to orbit first. It was the first time any orbital-class booster came back intact.

Then

SpaceX began refurbishing and reflying boosters within 18 months.

Now

Reuse became routine and helped SpaceX dominate the commercial launch market on price.

Why this matters now

China's July catch puts it roughly where SpaceX stood in 2015: recovery proven, cheap reuse still to be demonstrated.