China achieved a significant milestone in its space program as it successfully landed the first stage of a Long March-10B rocket following a recent launch, according to state media reports. The rocket’s first stage separated from the second stage after liftoff and returned to a platform in the sea, marking the first time China has recovered a rocket’s first stage.
The practice of recovering rocket stages has been pioneered by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to reduce launch costs by reusing boosters. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has achieved over 600 successful landings of its first-stage Falcon boosters, with plans to capture returning rockets using giant mechanical arms at the launch pad for its Starship program.
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, has also been successful in recovering its rockets, starting with New Shepard boosters in Texas and later recovering New Glenn boosters on a floating platform off the Florida coast.
With China now joining the trend of rocket recycling, Japan is set to make its own launch and landing attempt soon. The Long March rocket, launched from Hainan Island, boasts a reusable configuration capable of launching payloads of up to 16,000 kilograms into low Earth orbit (LEO).
Comparatively, the SpaceX Falcon 9 can carry a maximum payload of 22,800 kilograms, while the Falcon Heavy has a capacity of up to 63,800 kilograms to LEO. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket can launch payloads of up to 45,000 kilograms.
In a related development, Rocket Lab USA, a smaller launch company, successfully retrieved its first-stage rocket in 2022 using a helicopter before dropping it into the ocean.