China lands an orbital rocket for the first time, catching it in a net at sea

The Long March 10B's debut makes China only the second nation to recover an orbital booster, and the first to snag one in a net.

The Long March 10B lifted off from Hainan just after midnight Eastern on July 10, carried a satellite to orbit, and eleven minutes later brought its first stage down onto a floating platform, where a net rig caught it. It is China's first controlled recovery of an orbital-class booster and, because the rocket relies on lightweight landing hooks rather than SpaceX-style legs, the world's first net capture of a returning stage. Engineers say they plan to refly the booster before the end of the year, a step toward the cheap, reusable launch that has already reshaped the American rocket business.