WENCHANG, Hainan, July 10 — Two years after China’s first successful recovery of a rocket stage, the Long March 10B programme stands as a milestone in Beijing’s accelerating space ambitions, though the single test flight that proved the technology occurred on July 12, 2024, and no subsequent public launches of the vehicle have been reported. On that July morning in 2024, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, or CASC, launched the two-stage liquid-fueled rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan island at 9:00 a.m. local time.
The vehicle completed a suborbital trajectory before its first stage performed a controlled vertical landing at a designated recovery zone in the South China Sea, according to state and international reports. Telemetry and visual footage from onboard cameras confirmed the recovery.
No payload was carried on this test flight. The achievement placed China as the third nation after the United States and India to successfully recover a rocket stage. The Long March 10B is designed as a medium-lift launcher capable of carrying up to 10 metric tons to low Earth orbit.
CASC officials stated at the time that the success validates key technologies for future reusable launch vehicles, including the Long March 9 super-heavy rocket.
Reusability and cost reduction
The rocket’s reusability is expected to reduce launch costs by up to 30% compared to expendable versions, officials said. The mission also tested new grid fins and landing legs, components similar to those used by SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which has pioneered reusable rocket technology in the West. For observers of China’s space programme, the 2024 test represented a deliberate step toward catching up with American commercial launch capabilities.
The Chinese government has prioritised reusable rocket technology as part of its space ambitions, including plans for a crewed lunar mission by 2030 and a permanent space station. The Long March 10B, developed by CASC, is a two-stage liquid-fueled rocket.
Its successful recovery marked China’s first such feat. The test flight in July 2024 was not China’s first attempt at reusable rocket technology, but it was the first successful recovery of a stage. The account indicates that the Chinese space establishment views reusability as essential for reducing the cost of access to space, a lesson learned from watching the American commercial sector drive down launch prices through vertical landing technology.
Regional and strategic context
From Tehran’s perspective, China’s progress in space launch technology carries particular weight. Iran has pursued its own space launch capabilities, including the Simorgh and Qased rockets, though with mixed success. The Islamic Republic’s space programme has drawn international concern over potential dual-use applications for ballistic missile development.
China’s demonstrated ability to recover a rocket stage — a complex engineering feat involving precise guidance, throttling, and landing systems — signals a level of technological sophistication that few nations possess. The United States, through SpaceX, has conducted hundreds of successful booster landings since 2015.
India’s space agency, ISRO, successfully recovered a rocket stage in a 2023 test of its Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator programme. For Beijing, the Long March 10B test was a validation of domestic engineering. CASC officials stated that the success validates key technologies for future reusable launch vehicles, including the Long March 9 super-heavy rocket, which is expected to be critical for China’s crewed lunar landing plans.
The 2024 test flight carried no payload, officials confirmed, meaning the mission was purely a technology demonstration. The rocket lifted off from Wenchang, a coastal launch site on Hainan island that China has developed for its newer generation of liquid-fueled rockets.
The site’s location at low latitude provides efficiency gains for launches to orbit.
What to watch next
Since July 2024, no further Long March 10B launches have been publicly announced by CASC or Chinese state media. The absence of a second flight raises questions about the pace of China’s reusable rocket development, though such gaps are not unusual in major space programmes where data analysis from a first test can take months or years. The Chinese government has prioritised reusable rocket technology as part of its space ambitions, including plans for a crewed lunar mission by 2030 and a permanent space station.
Whether the Long March 10B will enter operational service or remain a technology demonstrator for the larger Long March 9 programme remains unclear based on publicly available information. For regional analysts watching the intersection of space technology and military capabilities, China’s successful rocket recovery adds a new dimension to the strategic competition in space.
The ability to land and reuse rocket stages reduces launch costs and increases launch tempo — factors that matter for both civilian space stations and, potentially, military satellite constellations.
The test flight in July 2024 was not China’s first attempt at recovering a rocket stage, but it was the first successful one. The account indicates that Chinese engineers adapted grid fins and landing legs similar to those used by SpaceX’s Falcon
Sources
- China successfully recovers Long March 10B rocket following…
- Google News – News about rocket • Long March – Overview
