Long March 10B: China becomes the first country to recover an orbital rocket using a net at sea

On Friday, China launched its Long March 10B rocket from Wenchang, Hainan, and recovered its first stage at sea using a net stretched over the ship LingHangZhe Navigator, a world first. The first stage separated about six minutes after liftoff and used four landing hooks to catch the net. According to expert Chen Muye of CALT, this technique reduces vehicle mass and broadens the error margin. The second stage placed a satellite into orbit, and the reusable rocket can carry up to 16 tons to low Earth orbit. This mission validates technologies for the crewed Long March 10 variant, which aims to send Chinese astronauts to the Moon.