China nets Long March 10B booster in historic sea recovery

China has emerged as only the second nation to retrieve a reusable rocket after snaring its booster with a net at sea.

China achieves first net capture of a descending rocket booster. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV captured the Long March 10B slowing on its own thrust until engines shut down and the intact stage landed in the waiting net. The state-owned China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology built the vehicle for its debut launch on July 10, 2026.

CALT deployed hooks attached to the net in an approach that differs sharply from SpaceX designs. The Falcon 9 relies on retractable landing legs while Starship uses external mechanical arms; this system marks the first successful use of such netting anywhere, the agency reported. Officials confirmed the booster survived undamaged.

CALT plans rapid reuse of the recovered booster. The agency expects to fly the same stage again before the close of 2026. In its statement CALT called the mission "a historic breakthrough for China in the field of reusable rocket technology" and said it "will lay a solid foundation for accelerating the enhancement of the country's space access capabilities."

China aims to become a space power with reusable technology. Beijing targets full status as a space power by 2030 and views reusable stages as central to that ambition. Even so its orbital launch totals trail the United States. American rockets flew 193 times last year, 165 of them by SpaceX, against China's 92 attempts.

Earlier tests showed mixed results for reusable recovery. CALT's February 2026 rehearsal sent the booster splashing down approximately 200 meters from the recovery platform. Separately the private Beijing firm LandSpace tested a leg-based system on its ZhuQue-3 that nearly succeeded before the stage exploded in a fireball the company chose not to broadcast.