Tag: Long March 10B
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After Long March 10B and Zhuque-3 Recoveries, What Comes Next for China’s Commercial Rockets?
On August 19, 2026, the second Zhuque-3 rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone. Its first stage subsequently returned to a landing pad in Minqin, Gansu Province, marking China’s first land recovery of the first stage of an orbital-class launch vehicle. Just 40 days earlier, on July 10, the Long March…
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Zhuque-3 Y2 Successfully Recovered: China Achieves Its First Onshore Recovery of an Orbital-Class Rocket First Stage
At 7:35 a.m. Beijing Time on August 19, 2026, the Zhuque-3 Y2 launch vehicle, developed by LandSpace Technology Corporation Ltd. serving as the prime contractor, lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone. Approximately 137 seconds after liftoff, the first and second stages separated. The second stage continued its flight and successfully placed…
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AST Eyes $1B Notes as Vikram-1 Targets Orbit
What Is Driving AST SpaceMobile Toward Vertical Launch Integration? AST SpaceMobile announced $1 billion in convertible notes — and its stock dropped more than 10 percent the same evening. The stated rationale tells the more important story: the direct-to-device satellite operator says it needs more rockets, and it is explicitly considering "partnerships and/or acquisitions" to…
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Epic Milestone: The World’s First Offshore Net-Based Rocket Recovery — A Comprehensive Analysis of the Long March 10B and Related Companies
On July 10, 2026, the Long March 10B achieved a historic breakthrough by completing China’s first recovery of a rocket first stage, making China the second country in the world—after the United States—to recover a reusable rocket. According to China Central Television, the Long March 10B carrier rocket, developed by the China Academy of Launch…
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China achieves first-ever controlled rocket recovery in Long March-10B maiden flight
China successfully launched the Long March-10B carrier rocket at the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China’s Hainan Province on July 10, achieving its first-ever controlled recovery of a carrier rocket’s first stage. The rocket, in its maiden flight, sent the payload into the preset orbit. After the separation of the rocket’s first and…
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China’s Long March 10B Nails First Net Catch at Sea
Is China’s Net-Catch Booster Recovery a Viable Third Architecture? China’s state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) recovered an orbital-class booster for the first time on July 11, 2026, catching the Long March 10B first stage in a tensioned cable net mounted to an offshore vessel — a recovery method distinct from both SpaceX’s…
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China Lands Orbital Rocket First Time in Net at Sea
Does China Now Have a Reusable Orbital Rocket? China recovered an orbital rocket’s first stage for the first time on July 10, 2026 — and did it in a way no one has tried before. The Long March 10B’s maiden flight lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site at 12:15 p.m. Beijing time,…
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Historic First: Long March-10B Successfully Demonstrates Controlled First-Stage Recovery
Long March-10B Rocket Makes Successful Maiden Flight and Booster Recovery At 12:15 p.m. on July 10, 2026, the Long March-10B launch vehicle lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. Approximately six minutes after first-stage and second-stage separation, the first-stage booster executed a controlled vertical return and was successfully recovered on an offshore recovery…