BEIJING: China successfully landed a reusable rocket for the first time on Friday, according to its space agency, marking a major step in its space ambitions and in reducing launch costs.

The Asian giant may now be in a position to challenge US dominance in reusable rockets, which until now has been led by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin.

A Long March-10B rocket lifted off at 12:15pm from its launch site on Hainan in the country’s south before placing a satellite into orbit, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.

The rocket lifted off from the Hainan commercial space launch site in southern China at 12:15pm and, about six minutes after separation of its booster and upper stage, the booster returned vertically and was recovered on an offshore platform, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The first stage of the rocket — the lower part that provides the initial thrust needed to lift the launcher off the ground — was then recovered “via a net-capture system on a seaborne platform”, the agency said.

The test marks China’s first successful retrieval of an orbital-class rocket, putting it closer to developing reusable rockets.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV aired aerial footage showing the launcher descending before gently landing on the platform. The CNSA hailed “a major breakthrough in Chinese reusable rocket technology”.

Unlike SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the Long March-10B does not use landing legs. “The net-based recovery system offers unique advantages,” Chen Muye, a technical expert at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology told Chinese newspaper Global Times.

“Compared with current mainstream recovery solutions, net-based recovery is more adaptable to the landing requirements of rockets.” Most rockets are designed for single use, with their stages falling into the sea, burning up in the atmosphere or sometimes remaining in orbit as debris. The first stage is considered the most expensive component.

“Net-based recovery helps simplify the rocket’s onboard structure,” Chen said.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2026