China lands orbital rocket booster at sea, closing gap with SpaceX

China's state-owned Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) successfully launched a Long March orbital rocket and recovered its booster on a seagoing recovery vessel on July 10, 2026, making China the second country after the U.S. to accomplish the milestone. Unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9, which deploys landing legs to settle onto a floating platform, CASC's booster uses a net strung across a large frame on a recovery ship to capture the descending rocket. The Long March booster carries roughly the same payload capacity as the Falcon 9. CASC stated it intends to reuse the booster by the end of 2026. The achievement signals China's intent to develop low-cost, reusable launch infrastructure to support satellite communications networks and potential orbital data centers that could compete with SpaceX's Starlink in markets such as Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. National security regulations effectively split the global launch market, preventing direct customer competition between Chinese and U.S. providers. The recovery comes amid reports that China and Russia are cooperating on strategies to counter Starlink. Meanwhile, SpaceX is preparing another Starship launch attempt, and U.S. competitors including Blue Origin and Rocket Lab continue reusable rocket development efforts.