China lands a reusable rocket for the first time

China successfully carried out its first reusable rocket landing on 10 July 2026, marking a major milestone in its space programme and strengthening its capabilities in low-cost space transportation.

• The achievement positions China alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin as one of the few space programmes capable of launching and recovering reusable rockets.
• The mission used the Long March 10B rocket, which was launched from the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site in Hainan Province.
• The Long March 10B is capable of carrying a payload of up to 16 metric tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
• About six minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s first-stage booster separated from the upper stage and performed a controlled descent before landing on a floating sea platform, where it was successfully recovered using a capture net.

What is a Reusable Rocket?

• A reusable rocket is a launch vehicle designed to return safely to Earth after launch, allowing key components—especially the first-stage booster—to be refurbished and reused for future missions.
• Reusability significantly reduces launch costs, increases launch frequency, and makes space exploration and satellite deployment more economical.

• After liftoff, the first-stage booster separates from the upper stage, which continues carrying the payload into space.
• The booster then uses pressurised nitrogen gas to rotate itself and align with its return trajectory.
• During atmospheric re-entry, it deploys grid fins (lattice-like aerodynamic control surfaces) to maintain stability and steer towards the landing site.
• In the final phase of descent, the booster performs a retro-propulsive landing, firing its engines opposite to the direction of travel to reduce speed.
• One of the biggest engineering challenges is thrust management, which involves precisely controlling engine thrust to ensure a safe touchdown without:
  • Crashing due to excessive descent speed.
  • Generating excessive thrust that could push the booster back upwards.
• Successful booster recovery represents a major technological achievement in precision guidance, propulsion, navigation, and autonomous landing systems.

About Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

• Low Earth Orbit (LEO) extends from approximately 160 km to 2,000 km above the Earth’s surface.
• It is the most commonly used orbit for earth observation satellites, communication satellites, scientific missions, human spaceflight, the International Space Station (ISS).

Source: IE