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China has for the first time succeeded in recovering a reusable launch vehicle on land, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). In the maneuver, a rocket stage returned in a controlled manner to the launch site after its flight and was set down vertically on the mainland. The agency frames the achievement as a breakthrough step toward reusable launch systems.
The development fits into China’s push into commercial spaceflight: For several years, both state-owned corporations and private providers have been developing reusable rockets in order to cut launch costs. Several companies had previously carried out altitude and landing tests in the form of so-called hop flights; the land recovery now reported by CNSA is described as the first fully successful recovery of this kind.
The ability to reuse a stage is widely regarded internationally as key to low-cost access to orbit. With this success, China joins, according to the agency, the ranks of nations practically testing such technology — comparable approaches have so far been known primarily from providers in the United States.