China successfully tests a system for recovering a rocket engine unit

Chinese state media reported that China successfully tested a prototype system for recovering rocket propulsion units using a network connected to a maritime platform on Friday, in hopes of breaking the United States’ dominance in the field of reusable rockets.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported that a Long March 10B rocket launched from a commercial space launch site in Hainan, southern China. Approximately six minutes after the separation of the propulsion unit and the upper stage, the unit returned vertically and was recovered on a maritime platform.

The television station added that this marks the first successful and controlled recovery of a rocket propulsion unit in China.