China recovers Long March 10B first stage on maiden flight
China's Long March 10B flew for the first time and recovered its first stage at sea, the second country to do so.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) launched the Long March 10B on its maiden flight from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site early July 10, carrying a satellite that reached its planned orbit, per SpaceNews and Space.com. About six minutes after stage separation, the first stage returned vertically and was captured by a net system aboard a sea-based recovery platform, the vessel Linghang Zhe, roughly 11 minutes after liftoff, per CASC's own statement quoted by Space.com. CASC said it intends to reuse the recovered stage before the end of 2026.
