China's Long March-10B Rocket Landing Sparks Debate Against SpaceX Falcon 9
China has achieved a historic milestone by recovering an orbital-class rocket booster using a unique net-capture system at sea, becoming only the second nation to do so. This innovative Long March-10B method contrasts sharply with SpaceX's leg-based landings, potentially offering benefits in payload capacity and landing flexibility. The breakthrough signifies a new chapter in the global reusable rocket race and is crucial for China's ambitions to cut launch costs for its mega-constellations.On July 10, 2026, China achieved a significant milestone in space exploration by successfully recovering an orbital-class rocket booster after its launch. This feat makes China only the second nation, after the United States with SpaceX, to accomplish such a recovery. However, China's approach, utilizing its Long March-10B rocket, diverged significantly from SpaceX's established method. Instead of employing landing legs for a controlled touchdown, the Long March-10B utilized a unique net-capture system, firing four hooks into a giant net stretched across a recovery ship at sea. This innovative technique is often compared to a fighter jet snagging an arrestor wire on an aircraft carrier, addressing the costly challenge of rocket reusability in a distinctly different manner.
The Long March-10B, built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site in Wenchang. After delivering a satellite to its target orbit, its first stage executed a controlled recovery approximately six minutes post-separation. The rocket is a medium-lift vehicle, standing roughly 63 meters (207 feet) tall and 5 meters wide. Its first stage is powered by seven liquid oxygen-kerosene engines, and in its reusable configuration, it boasts a capacity to lift approximately 16 tonnes to low Earth orbit. The recovery operation was successfully performed by a dedicated vessel named Linghangzhe, which translates to “the Navigator.”
The Long March-10B's return journey shares commonalities with other reusable rockets, deploying grid fins for atmospheric steering and reigniting its engines to decelerate while targeting the sea platform. The critical distinction unfolds in the final moments of descent. Rather than deploying legs for an independent touchdown, the booster hovers over the platform, neutralizes its lateral motion, and descends vertically. As it lowers, four arresting hooks on its body engage with a grid-patterned net on the vessel. A flexible net-and-cable system, augmented with hydraulic damping, progressively absorbs the rocket's downward momentum, ensuring a gentle deceleration and secure hold. Auxiliary cables then stabilize the booster against environmental factors like wind and waves, after which an automated platform locks it in place for the journey back to shore.
In contrast, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has perfected its landing technique since December 2015, establishing the most proven method globally. Following first-stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster reorients itself and conducts a series of controlled engine burns to slow down and navigate back towards a designated target, either a concrete landing pad on land or a floating droneship at sea. Grid fins, located near the top of the booster, actively adjust its attitude during atmospheric re-entry. In the final seconds, four robust landing legs unfold from its base, allowing the rocket to settle upright. This highly mature approach enables SpaceX to conduct around 150 Falcon 9 launches annually, often reusing individual boosters dozens of times. Blue Origin’s New Glenn, which first landed a booster in November 2025, also employs a landing leg system.
The primary difference between these two pioneering methods lies in the location of the recovery hardware. For the Falcon 9, the heavy landing legs and their supporting structures are integral to the booster, carried into space on every flight despite being utilized for only a few seconds during landing. China’s net-capture design, however, relocates this hardware to the recovery ship. The Long March-10B booster only requires lightweight hooks, while the complex net, cables, and shock-absorbing mechanisms remain on the sea platform. Furthermore, autonomy is a key differentiator: the Falcon 9 executes an autonomous landing, whereas the Long March-10B’s recovery necessitates a coordinated effort between the rocket and the vessel. While SpaceX benefits from hundreds of successful landings and extensive operational maturity, China's sea-based net catch has, to date, been successfully demonstrated only once.
According to CALT, the decision to transfer recovery hardware onto the ship offers tangible engineering advantages. Landing legs contribute