China has perfect rocket landing
July 13, 2026

By Chris Forrester



China is echoing SpaceX in managing to achieve the perfect relanding of one of its rockets. The landing on July 10th was handled on a floating platform using a mesh of nets contained withing a strong frame. The aim is to break the US dominance as far as rocket reusability is concerned.

The flight was a test and marked China’s first successful retrieval of an orbital-class rocket, putting the country closer to developing reusable rockets. The rocket had sent a satellite into preset orbit earlier on July 10th, state media said.


The Long March 10B has been compared to the Falcon 9, SpaceX’s widely used medium-lift rocket. It was developed for commercial aerospace by the country’s main state rocket developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), and is capable of carrying a payload of at least 16 metric tons to low-Earth orbit.

“Net-based recovery helps simplify the rocket’s onboard structure, reduces vehicle mass and increases payload capacity. It is also highly adaptable to landing-point deviations, as coordinated net systems can effectively expand the capture window,” CALT’s expert Chen Muye told state agency Xinhua.

SpaceX has managed hundreds of landings, both on one of its floating sea barges as well as back onto its land-based launch sites. The Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin has also re-landed its New Glenn rockets.