China has successfully recovered a rocket booster during an orbital launch for the first time in history, achieving a milestone that until now belonged exclusively to SpaceX.
What Happened
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced on July 10, 2026, that its Long March 10B rocket completed the world's first network-based recovery of a launch vehicle. Approximately six minutes after stage separation, the first stage returned vertically and was caught by a net system on a sea-based platform. The launch from Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site also delivered a satellite to its predetermined orbit. CASC stated it plans to refly the recovered first stage by the end of 2026.
Why It Matters
SpaceX has dominated the commercial launch market through aggressive reuse of its Falcon 9 boosters, amassing more than 600 landings to date and driving down costs for high-frequency missions including Starlink deployments. China is now actively working to replicate that model with multiple partially reusable vehicles in development, including CASC's Long March 12A and Landspace's Zhuque-3. Companies such as CAS Space, Galactic Energy, and Deep Blue Aerospace are also building reusable rockets. The entry of these competitors could reshape launch economics and affect the cadence of Starlink constellation expansion.
The Bottom Line
China's successful recovery marks a significant step in its reusable rocket program and signals growing competitive pressure on SpaceX in the global launch market.