China's rapid progress in reusable rocket technology continues as another launch operator successfully recovered an orbital-class rocket booster, joining earlier successes by CASC's Long March 10B. The country now has multiple companies—both state-owned and commercial—actively developing and flight-testing reusable boosters, narrowing the gap with established Western players like SpaceX.
Background
China achieved its first orbital-class booster recovery on July 10 with the Long March 10B, and has since seen multiple companies attempt similar feats. The US took over a decade between SpaceX's 2015 Falcon 9 landing and Blue Origin's first orbital booster recovery.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Aug 20, 2026 at 02:41 AM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10