Post by : Badri Ariffin

China has successfully completed its first reusable rocket landing, marking an important achievement for the country's space programme. According to state media, the successful recovery of the Long March 10B rocket demonstrates China's growing capabilities in reusable launch technology.

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said the Long March 10B lifted off from Hainan in southern China at 12:15 local time (04:15 GMT) on Friday.

Booster Returns Safely to a Floating Platform

About six minutes after separating from the rocket's upper stage, the booster returned to Earth in a controlled vertical descent. It was successfully recovered on a floating platform, completing China's first successful reusable rocket landing.

Unlike traditional rockets, which are designed to be discarded after launch, reusable rockets allow key components to be recovered and used again. This can significantly reduce the cost of launching satellites and carrying out future space missions.

China Moves Closer to Reusable Rocket Technology

The successful landing places China among the countries developing reusable launch systems, an area currently led by American companies.

SpaceX achieved the world's first successful landing of a reusable Falcon 9 rocket following an orbital mission in December 2015. Later, Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, successfully landed its New Glenn rocket in November 2025.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 now performs around 150 launches every year, with boosters that can be reused dozens of times.

Long March 10B Compared With Falcon 9

The Long March 10B is capable of carrying a payload of at least 16 metric tons into low-Earth orbit and has often been compared with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

However, its recovery method is different. Instead of landing autonomously on a ground pad or drone ship, the Long March 10B uses landing hooks that catch a net attached to a floating recovery platform.

Earlier Recovery Attempt Took Place in February

China had previously tested reusable rocket recovery in February using the Long March 10A rocket. During that mission, the booster completed a controlled descent before splashing down next to a recovery platform.

The successful landing of the Long March 10B represents the next step in China's reusable rocket development.

Chinese Space Stocks Rise After the Announcement

The achievement also had an immediate impact on China's stock market.

Shares of China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications each rose 10%, reaching the maximum daily gain allowed under the country's financial market regulations after news of the successful reusable rocket landing.

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