China Lands Reusable Rocket for First Time, Signalling Space Race Shift

Sun Sep 06 2026 05:16:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

China’s Long March 10B succeeds in a first‑ever vertical landing on a floating platform, a move that may tilt the balance of reusable launch technology away from U.S. dominance.

China’s Long March 10B rocket carried payloads from Hainan and achieved a controlled descent to a sea‑based platform, marking its pioneering reusable rocket landing. The launch, seen by state media as a breakthrough, could lower satellite launch costs by eliminating expendable stages. This accomplishment comes after SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Blue Origin's New Glenn, positioning China to compete in the key segment of space launch economy. The success boosted investor sentiment, lifting shares of Chinese space firms at daily price limits.

China’s Long March 10B rocket successfully landed on a floating platform for the first time, according to state media reports. The vehicle lifted off from Hainan at 12:15 local time (04:15 GMT) on Friday and, after a six‑minute descent, returned to the sea with its booster dome attaching to a net on the platform.

This milestone marks China’s entry into the world’s reusable rocket market, positioning it to challenge United States leaders SpaceX and Blue Origin. Reusable components, mainly boosters, have lowered launch costs for Mars missions and satellite deployments worldwide by removing the need to discard expended stages.

Since 2015, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has made multiple re‑flight appearances, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn achieved a similar feat in 2025. China’s earlier attempt in February with the Long March 10A was a controlled descent, but the 10B’s net‑catch landing method differs from the autonomous pad or drone ship landings of its competitors.

The Long March 10B boasts a payload capacity of at least 16 metric tons to low‑Earth orbit, comparable to the Falcon 9, with the added significance of its new recovery technique. The successful operation sent Chinese space‑industry stocks soaring, with China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications each hitting the 10‑percent limit set by market regulations.