China has achieved a significant milestone in its space program by successfully landing the first stage of a rocket following a launch on Friday, as reported by state media. The Long March-10B rocket’s first stage separated from the second stage after liftoff and safely returned to a platform in the sea, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
This marks the first time China has recovered the first stage of a rocket, a practice that companies like SpaceX have been implementing for years to reduce launch costs through the reuse of boosters. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has conducted over 600 landings of its first-stage Falcon boosters, setting a new record this week with the 36th launch of a booster.
In a bid to further innovate, SpaceX is developing methods to capture returning rockets with giant mechanical arms at the launch pad, particularly for its larger Starships undergoing test flights. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, has also been successful in recovering its rockets, with New Shepard boosters landing in Texas and New Glenn boosters on a floating platform off the Florida coast.
With China now joining the trend of rocket recycling, Japan is poised to make a launch and landing attempt this weekend, following suit in the efforts to make space missions more cost-effective. The Long March rocket, launched from Hainan Island in China, can launch payloads of up to 16,000 kilograms into low Earth orbit, as reported by Xinhua.
Comparatively, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 can carry a maximum payload of 22,800 kilograms to orbit, while its Falcon Heavy boasts a capacity of up to 63,800 kilograms. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has a payload capacity of up to 45,000 kilograms. In a similar vein, Rocket Lab USA achieved a milestone in 2022 by successfully capturing its first stage rocket with a helicopter before dropping it into the ocean.