China nets Long March-10B booster at sea in global first
Synopsis
China's Long March-10B became the first orbital-class rocket outside the US to be recovered intact — caught by a giant net on a ship in the South China Sea. The novel approach eliminates landing legs to boost payload capacity, but CALT has yet to disclose what the recovery vessel actually costs to build and run.
Key Takeaways
Long March-10B became the first orbital-class rocket outside the United States to return and be recovered intact, on Friday, 11 July 2026 .
The booster deployed four hooks and was caught by a giant net aboard the recovery ship Linghangzhe in the South China Sea .
The Linghangzhe is 144 metres (472 feet) long and displaces 25,000 tonnes , equipped with dynamic positioning and laser tracking systems.
Developer CALT (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology) says eliminating landing legs reduces rocket mass and increases payload capacity.
Neither CALT nor state media have disclosed the cost of building or operating the recovery vessel, leaving key economic questions unanswered.
SpaceX and Blue Origin use deployable landing legs — not nets — to recover their reusable boosters.
China's Long March-10B rocket made history on Friday, 11 July 2026, becoming the first orbital-class rocket outside the United States to return from space and be recovered intact — caught mid-air by a giant net aboard a ship stationed in the South China Sea. The milestone, achieved by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), has reignited debate among aerospace experts over whether the net-catch method could meaningfully reduce the cost of reaching orbit.
How the net-catch system works
As the Long March-10B's first-stage booster descended, it deployed four hooks that engaged a large net on the recovery vessel waiting below. The ship, named Linghangzhe, measures 144 metres (472 feet) in length and displaces 25,000 tonnes. Its onboard systems include a high-precision dynamic positioning system to hold station at sea and laser sensors that track the real-time position and orientation of the descending booster.
Why it matters: the payload advantage
According to CALT, eliminating traditional landing legs makes the rocket lighter, enabling it to carry a heavier payload into orbit. This is the central engineering argument for the net approach — mass saved on recovery hardware translates directly into commercial and mission capability. However, neither CALT nor state media have disclosed the cost of building or operating the Linghangzhe, making a full cost-benefit comparison with rival systems impossible at this stage.
The competitive backdrop: SpaceX and Blue Origin
SpaceX and Blue Origin both rely on deployable landing legs to recover their reusable boosters — a proven method that requires no specialised recovery vessel at sea. SpaceX's Mechazilla catch-arm system for Starship's Super Heavy booster is the closest analogue to a non-legs approach, but it targets a fixed onshore launch tower rather than a ship at sea. China's maritime net recovery is a distinct third path in the emerging reusable-launch playbook.
What's next
The transparency gap around Linghangzhe's construction and operational costs will be a key variable for analysts assessing whether the approach is commercially scalable. If CALT can demonstrate per-launch economics competitive with SpaceX's Falcon 9 — currently the global benchmark — the net-catch model could attract serious attention from other national space agencies. Watch for CALT's next Long March-10B launch cadence and any official cost disclosures as the programme matures.
Point of View
Not just a propaganda milestone — removing landing legs does offer a real mass-to-orbit benefit that landing-leg systems cannot match. But the silence on Linghangzhe's cost is telling: a bespoke 25,000-tonne precision vessel could easily offset payload gains in per-launch economics, which is precisely the number CALT is not releasing. What mainstream coverage underplays is that this is less a rivalry with SpaceX's Falcon 9 and more a direct signal to China's commercial launch sector — and to Belt and Road partner nations — that Beijing can field sovereign, reusable heavy-lift capability. The real test will come when launch cadence and cost-per-kilogram figures are public enough to benchmark.
NationPress
14 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Long March-10B rocket and why is its recovery significant?
The Long March-10B is a Chinese orbital-class rocket developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) . Its recovery on 11 July 2026 marked the first time an orbital-class rocket outside the United States returned from space and was recovered intact, signalling a major step in China's reusable launch ambitions.
How does China's net-catch rocket recovery method work?
As the Long March-10B 's first-stage booster descended, it deployed four hooks that latched onto a large net mounted on the recovery ship Linghangzhe in the South China Sea . The vessel uses a high-precision dynamic positioning system and laser sensors to track and align with the falling booster in real time.
How does China's approach differ from SpaceX and Blue Origin?
SpaceX and Blue Origin use deployable landing legs to recover their reusable boosters — either on land or on drone ships. China's net-catch method eliminates landing legs entirely, which CALT says reduces the rocket's mass and allows it to carry more payload into orbit.
Is China's reusable rocket recovery method cheaper than SpaceX's?
That remains unknown. Neither CALT nor state media have disclosed the cost of building or operating the recovery vessel Linghangzhe , which is 144 metres long and displaces 25,000 tonnes . Without those figures, a direct cost-per-launch comparison with SpaceX 's Falcon 9 is not possible.
What happens next for China's reusable rocket programme?
Analysts will be watching CALT 's launch cadence for the Long March-10B and any official disclosure of recovery costs. If China can demonstrate per-launch economics competitive with global benchmarks, the net-catch model could influence other national space agencies and commercial operators seeking alternatives to SpaceX .
