China invents a new way to recover rockets with Long March-10B success
2026-07-12 11:00:59 source：CGTN
July 11, 2026
China launched and recovered the first stage of its Long March-10B rocket on Friday, using a net-capture system at sea – a global first in operational reusable rocket technology.
Liftoff occurred at 12:15 p.m. from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. About six minutes after stage separation, the first stage descended vertically and was caught by a net on the "Navigator" recovery platform.
"Dead center. The precision control was outstanding," said Chen Mingbo, chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
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