China succeeded in recovering part of its Long March 10B reusable rocket on its maiden launch on Friday, marking the country’s first controlled orbital-class booster recovery and making it only the second nation in the world to achieve the feat.
Unlike the methods pioneered by Elon Musk’s US-based SpaceX, the Chinese rocket achieved the first-ever use of a unique sea-based, net-capture system.
Reusable Chinese rocket returns after launch
The 70-metre (230-foot) tall, 5-metre wide medium-lift rocket lifted off from southern China’s Wenchang space launch site at 12.15pm.
About six minutes after the first and second stages of the rocket separated, the first stage returned vertically and was recovered via a sea platform, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The maiden flight validated the rocket’s design for first-stage reusability and was expected to help cut launch costs, CCTV said.
The two-stage Long March 10B’s first stage is powered by seven YF-100K engines that burn kerosene and liquid oxygen. The rocket can deliver up to 16 tonnes to low Earth orbit and is mainly designed for cargo missions.
