China became the second country after the United States to have a rocket system that can land back on Earth after launch. At 12.15 pm today, a Long March 10B rocket was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan. After successfully placing the satellite cargo into a designated orbit, it returned to Earth and was captured by a hook system on a platform above the sea surface.
The rocket was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and is the first time the system has successfully landed back on Earth. Two previous attempts ended in failure. With the Long March 10B, which can carry cargo of up to 16 metric tons, China wants to perform a moon landing mission similar to NASA's Artemis Mission.
Today's success is the culmination of a program that began 10 years ago to give China the same capabilities as SpaceX and Blue Origin, which have their own rocket systems that can land back on Earth.
The Long March 10B is as tall as a 20-story building and is equipped with seven high-powered rocket engines. Its capabilities are comparable to the Falcon 9, which successfully landed for the first time in 2015. Unlike the Falcon 9, the Long March 10B does not have landing legs. A hook system is currently used before a leg system is introduced in the future.
