BEIJING — China has accomplished a significant milestone in space technology, successfully testing an experimental system designed to recover a rocket booster at sea, according to the country’s state media.
The Long March 10B rocket launched from a commercial space facility in Hainan, a province in southern China. Roughly six minutes after the rocket’s booster separated from its upper stage, the booster descended vertically and was caught by a net mounted on an offshore platform, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
CCTV described the achievement as China’s first successful controlled recovery of a carrier rocket booster — a capability the country hopes will help it challenge the United States’ lead in reusable rocket technology.
