---
type: source
title: "China completes first maritime recovery of Long March 10 rocket first stage"
author: "Xinhua / People's Daily / CGTN (aggregated)"
url: https://english.news.cn/20260213/4730b896c69f4647979601ef254597ca/c.html
date: 2026-02-11
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: enrichment
priority: high
tags: [china, long-march-10, reusability, sea-landing, competition, state-directed]
flagged_for_leo: ["State-directed acceleration compressing technology timelines faster than KB predicted — governance/coordination implications"]
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-03-16
enrichments_applied: ["reusable-launch-convergence-creates-us-china-duopoly-in-heavy-lift.md", "reusable-launch-convergence-creates-us-china-duopoly-in-heavy-lift.md"]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content
On February 11, 2026, China successfully conducted a low-altitude demonstration and verification flight test of the Long March-10 carrier rocket. The first stage safely splashed down in a controlled manner in the predetermined sea area.

Simultaneously, China tested a maximum dynamic pressure abort flight test of the new-generation crewed spaceship Mengzhou.

Key technical details:
- First stage features restartable engines and grid fins for controlled descent
- Recovery approach uses "tethered landing devices" — hooks deployed by the stage caught by a tensioned wire system (fundamentally different from SpaceX's tower catch or Blue Origin's ship landing)
- Long March 10B (reusable variant): first test flight NET April 5, 2026 from Wenchang Space Launch Site
- LM-10B payload capacity: 11,000 kg to 900km altitude at 50° inclination

China is also building a 25,000-ton, 472-foot rocket-catching ship "Ling Hang Zhe" (The Navigator/Pioneer) with cable and net recovery system. Ship was seen leaving shipyard for sea trials in early February 2026 with recovery gantry and cable system installed.

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** The KB claim that China is "closing the reusability gap in 5-8 years" is already outdated. China demonstrated controlled first-stage sea landing in Feb 2026 and is launching a reusable variant in April 2026. The gap closed in ~2 years, not 5-8.
**What surprised me:** The tethered wire / cable-net recovery approach. This is a genuinely different engineering solution — not copying SpaceX. China is innovating on the recovery method, not just catching up.
**What I expected but didn't find:** Detailed cost projections for reusable Chinese launch. Also missing: how many reflights they're targeting per booster.
**KB connections:** China is the only credible peer competitor in space with comprehensive capabilities and state-directed acceleration closing the reusability gap in 5-8 years
**Extraction hints:** The "5-8 years" timeframe in the KB claim needs revision — evidence now shows 1-2 years. The cable-net recovery approach as evidence of independent innovation, not just technology copying. State-directed acceleration as a different competitive model than market-driven (SpaceX) or patient-capital (Blue Origin).
**Context:** China's space program operates under state direction with strategic competition motivation. The speed of their reusability development suggests the 5-8 year estimate was significantly wrong — possibly because it underweighted state-directed industrial policy.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: China is the only credible peer competitor in space with comprehensive capabilities and state-directed acceleration closing the reusability gap in 5-8 years
WHY ARCHIVED: Directly challenges the "5-8 year" timeline — China achieved first stage recovery in early 2026, with reusable variant launching April 2026
EXTRACTION HINT: The claim needs timeline revision. Also extract the cable-net recovery approach as evidence of independent innovation trajectory.


## Key Facts
- Long March 10B payload capacity: 11,000 kg to 900km altitude at 50° inclination
- China's recovery system uses 'tethered landing devices' - hooks deployed by stage caught by tensioned wire
- Ling Hang Zhe specifications: 25,000 tons, 472 feet, cable-net recovery gantry
