China successfully recovered reusable missiles

According to Reuters, China recovered part of the reusable Long March 10B rocket during its first launch on July 10, becoming the second country after the United States to retrieve the booster stage after flying into orbit. Different from the method of American aerospace company SpaceX, Chinese rockets use a unique recovery system using a net at sea.

According to CCTV, this 70 m high and 5 m wide Long March 10B medium-range rocket took off from the Van Twitterong Satellite Launch Center in southern China at 12:15 a.m. on July 10 local time (11 a.m. on the same day and time in Hanoi). About 6 minutes after the two stages of the rocket separated, the first ship flew back vertically and was recovered via a floating platform at sea. The flight validated the design for reusing the rocket's first stage, which could drastically reduce launch costs.

The first stage of the Long March 10B rocket operates thanks to 7 YF-100K engines using kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen. The rocket can carry 16 tons into low Earth orbit, mainly designed for cargo transport missions. This is the first orbital test flight of the Long March 10 rocket line, aiming to test key technologies for a more powerful version equipped with 21 YF-100K engines, used to carry crews to the Moon before 2030.

According to SCMP, in February, China used part of the Long March 10A missile in a mid-flight abort test of the Mong Chau manned ship. The test stage had a controlled landing and landed right next to the recovery ship.

In December last year, two other Chinese rockets tried to land vertically using net wings and landing gear like SpaceX but both failed. The first stage of the Zhuque-3 rocket using liquid methane-oxygen fuel developed by private company Landspace fell right near the recovery area. Meanwhile, the first stage of the Long March 12A rocket exploded in mid-air due to an engine failure.

During reentry, the first stage of the Long March 10B rocket decelerates through engine combustion and uses aerodynamic control surfaces before descending into the recovery system. During the final landing phase, the net and cable system absorbs the rocket's remaining energy and slows the vehicle's descent even further for a soft landing.

The idea of ​​recovering launch vehicles using nets or cables has existed since the Cold War, when the US military recovered capsules from Corona spy satellites by capturing them in mid-air. Recently, both SpaceX and Rocket Lab tested the method of retrieving rocket parts using nets or helicopters but encountered operational challenges such as strong winds at sea.