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Space
Opinion
SCMP Editorial
Editorial
SCMP Editorial

With its innovative rocket recovery, China makes strides in the space race

Beijing’s breakthrough is likely to advance its ambitions in the cosmos and enhance global connectivity and economic growth

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The returning first stage of the Long March-10B carrier rocket was successfully captured on a seaborne recovery platform. Photo: Xinhua
SCMP Editorial
Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.
In technology, you don’t have to be the first, you just have to be competitive. China is now the second nation on Earth to achieve the controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster, after successfully retrieving part of a Long March-10B rocket. By challenging the reusable launch monopoly held by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, China will give his business a run for its money.
And it wasn’t even a copycat move. Unlike the American land-based system, the Chinese rocket recovery used its own unique sea-based platform for the rocket’s return.

The recovery platform is a highly innovative, adaptable and movable system. It can maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy even in rough seas and strong winds. It holds steady without an anchor by using computer-controlled thrusters. During landing, the Long March booster deployed landing hooks and dropped precisely into an arresting net on the recovery vessel. The ingenious system enables the rocket to avoid heavy landing gear. This reduces the rocket’s weight, thereby cutting cost and fuel usage, and potentially improves operational safety.

This breakthrough matters. China is aiming to develop an industrial-scale satellite network to rival Starlink, Musk’s satellite network linking online systems on Earth which is currently SpaceX’s most lucrative business segment. It also fits in with the growth in telemetry, data application and other related tech fields supporting China’s ambitious space programme to reach the moon and Mars.

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