Earlier today, first Chinese successful recovery of a reusable Long March 10B rocket – using a “net”-type capture mechanism rather than Spacex’s very precise engine control on Falcon or the capture arms for Starship.
Strange plume of dark smoke from the rocket as it landed. Coal powered???
Now, about Europe’s reusable rocket …
Ironic that SpaceX uses chopsticks while Chinese use a net.
The growing scale of future competition for SpaceX is surprising. As well as Blue Origin, there are apparently five different Chinese entities (private and government) developing reusable rockets. Then there may some day be additional competition from India and Russia – maybe even Europe.
... According to Chinese experts, multiple companies are now exploring different recovery technologies, including vertical landing and other innovative approaches, reflecting the rapid growth of China’s commercial aerospace ecosystem.
Reusable liquid launch vehicle, Pallas-1 will begin its mission from Galactic Energy’s independently built facility at the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone in northwestern China, where the company will soon complete testing, propellant filling and launch preparation operations, according to its developer Galactic Energy on Thursday.
Orienspace’s Gravity-2 reusable large liquid launch vehicle is undergoing final ground testing ahead of its maiden flight, which is scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2026. The rocket is designed with a low Earth orbit payload capacity of 21.5 tons.
Space Pioneer is advancing verification and joint testing of its Yuanxingzhe-1 (YXZ-1) rocket, while i-Space’s Hyperbola-3 reusable rocket has completed full-cycle ground verification of offshore recovery and landing technologies and is expected to conduct its maiden flight around the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, CAS Space’s reusable Lihong-2 vehicle is being developed as a platform for verifying key recovery and reuse technologies, as well as conducting microgravity experiments. The vehicle is scheduled to complete its maiden flight and 100-kilometer-class recovery verification test in 2026. ...