China has successfully launched a payload to orbit and landed the first stage booster rocket, similar to SpaceXâs Falcon 9 rocket.
China is an estimated 10 years behind SpaceX in this technology. Elonâs company does this 100+ times per year and is already developing the more advanced Starship launch system.
China has become the second country in the world with an orbital-class launcher system with first-stage booster recovery through controlled reentry and propelled landing.
After delivering its payload to low Earth orbit, The Long March 10B had its booster landing on a recovery ship in the South China Sea with a net-and-hook system.
@SpaceX has more than a decades lead on the Chinese, with Starship being at a completely different position in this space race but the Chinese are clearly going to be putting a lot of effort into trying to catch up.
Itâs remarkable that the Europeans have been so slow to start experimenting with these technologies.
ESA and ArianeGroup have been slow off their feet and both the Themis and Callisto programs are still very far from pulling off what the Chinese did today and miles and miles away from being able to do what SpaceX does.