Summary of Key Points
The successful maiden flight of the Long March 10B rocket not only delivered its payload to the intended orbit but also achieved China’s first recovery of the core stage of a large liquid-fuel rocket. This marked the country’s entry into a new realm by becoming the second nation, after the United States, to master the technology of recovering the first stage of a large liquid-fuel rocket. Moreover, China adopted a unique “net-based recovery” method, setting a global precedent. This breakthrough is of great significance for future manned lunar missions and the deployment of satellite internet constellations.
1. Why Recycle Rockets? – The Economics of Spaceflight
Traditional rockets are designed to be used once: the most expensive and resource-intensive core stage (with the largest size and the most engines) is discarded after each launch, resulting in exorbitant costs. By recovering the core stage, it can be repaired and reused multiple times, significantly reducing the cost per launch (for example, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has reduced launch costs by more than half through reusability). Additionally, rocket production takes months or even years; if rockets were used only once, the frequency of launches would be severely limited by production capacity. Reusing rockets will greatly increase the number of launches possible each year (Falcon 9 can conduct over 100 launches per year), which is essential for large-scale space missions such as satellite deployment and manned lunar exploration.
2. Why Use Nets to Catch Rockets? – A Smarter Weight Reduction Strategy
The current mainstream recovery method used by SpaceX involves a “standing landing” approach, where the rocket uses four large landing legs that unfold upon re-entry to stabilize the vehicle on a platform. However, these legs and their accompanying cushioning systems are very heavy, reducing the payload capacity of the rocket. The Long March 10B adopted a different approach: it removed the landing system from the rocket itself and placed it on a marine platform. During re-entry, the rocket descends vertically and uses lightweight arresting bars to engage with a large net on the platform. The net and cushioning systems work together to gently capture the rocket, allowing for more payload to be carried.
3. Success on the First Flight? – No Luck, Just Extensive Preparation
This success was not due to luck but the result of thorough preparation:
- Ground Tests: The seven engines of the core stage underwent two “tethered ignition” tests to verify their thrust and ability to ignite multiple times.
- Low-Altitude Exercises: In February this year, a prototype of the Long March 10 series successfully completed the entire return process, flying to an altitude of 105 kilometers, adjusting its attitude, decelerating, and then hovering 5 meters above the sea surface before landing near a recovery ship. All but the net-catching phase had been tested extensively.
4. What Does This Mean for the Future?
- Manned Lunar Exploration: The Long March 10 series will be the primary rocket for China’s manned lunar missions by 2030. The technologies demonstrated, such as multiple engine firings and precise return control, will be adopted across the entire series, paving the way for lunar exploration.
- Satellite Internet: China’s low-earth orbit satellite constellations (e.g., the Guowang and Qianfan projects) require the deployment of thousands of satellites, which can only be achieved with low-cost, high-frequency launches. The reusability of the Long March 10B will significantly reduce costs, and its payload capacity (16 tons in near-Earth orbit) will meet these requirements.
- Normalization of Spaceflight: Not only the Long March 10B but also other reusable rockets like the Zhuque-3 are under development. In the future, “rocket recovery → maintenance → reuse” will become as routine as commercial airline flights.
The successful net-based recovery marks the beginning of a new era of reusable spaceflight in China. Rockets returning to Earth will become the norm, enabling our space program to achieve greater goals more efficiently and economically.