China is catching up to Elon Musk's reusable rockets
News Source
β’Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:51:07 +0000
π° What Happened
China's state-owned space company successfully launched a Long March rocket and landed its booster on a ship at sea. This makes China the second country to pull off this trick. It is the same kind of landing that made SpaceX famous.
Instead of using landing legs like SpaceX's Falcon 9, China's rocket is caught by netting on a large frame aboard the recovery ship. The company says it will try to reuse the booster by the end of this year. The rocket can carry about as much as a Falcon 9.
The test shows China is getting close to matching SpaceX's key advantage: reusing boosters to lower the cost of space launches. This could change the global space race.
π The Backstory
SpaceX changed the space industry by proving rockets could be reused. Before that, every rocket was thrown away after one flight. Reusing boosters cut launch costs dramatically and let SpaceX launch more often than anyone else.
China has been working on reusable rocket technology for years. Its space program is growing fast with plans for a space station, moon missions, and satellite networks. Reusable rockets would make all of these cheaper and faster.
National security rules split the global launch market. US and European companies on one side, Russia and China on the other. So China would not compete directly with SpaceX for customers. But it could still build its own satellite networks and space projects more cheaply.
π― Why It Matters
Space is becoming more competitive and China catching up means lower costs and more launches globally. This could speed up internet access worldwide, space research, and even plans to live on other planets.
China's state-owned space company successfully launched a Long March rocket and landed its booster on a ship at sea. This makes China the second country to pull off this trick. It is the same kind of landing that made SpaceX famous.
Instead of using landing legs like SpaceX's Falcon 9, China's rocket is caught by netting on a large frame aboard the recovery ship. The company says it will try to reuse the booster by the end of this year. The rocket can carry about as much as a Falcon 9.
The test shows China is getting close to matching SpaceX's key advantage: reusing boosters to lower the cost of space launches. This could change the global space race.
SpaceX changed the space industry by proving rockets could be reused. Before that, every rocket was thrown away after one flight. Reusing boosters cut launch costs dramatically and let SpaceX launch more often than anyone else.
China has been working on reusable rocket technology for years. Its space program is growing fast with plans for a space station, moon missions, and satellite networks. Reusable rockets would make all of these cheaper and faster.
National security rules split the global launch market. US and European companies on one side, Russia and China on the other. So China would not compete directly with SpaceX for customers. But it could still build its own satellite networks and space projects more cheaply.
Space is becoming more competitive and China catching up means lower costs and more launches globally. This could speed up internet access worldwide, space research, and even plans to live on other planets.