On the afternoon of July 10th, the commercial aerospace sector experienced a sharp vertical surge. At the time of writing, Hailanxin hit the 20% daily limit-up, while over 30 stocks including China Satellite, Quectel, Aerospace Power, China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co., Ltd., Aerospace Development, China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd., and Shenjian Co., Ltd. also reached their daily limit. Multiple other stocks such as Aerospace Huanyu, Chaojie Shares, and Ganzhao Optoelectronics rose by more than 10%.
This surge followed the successful launch of the Long March 10B carrier rocket from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site at 12:15 PM on July 10th, 2026. The rocket successfully delivered its satellite payload into the predetermined orbit. Approximately six minutes after the first and second stage separation, the first stage performed a controlled vertical return and was successfully recovered on a sea-based platform using a net capture system, marking a complete success for both the launch and first-stage recovery mission.
This mission represents China's first successful controlled recovery of a carrier rocket's first stage and is also the world's first net-based recovery of a carrier rocket. It signifies a historic breakthrough for China in the field of reusable rocket technology, laying a solid foundation for accelerating the enhancement of China's space access capabilities. The Long March 10B has become China's first type of reusable launch vehicle to successfully demonstrate recovery.
The successful maiden flight validated several core and critical technologies, including the overall optimized design of the combined configuration, large-thrust tank bottom load transfer technology, and methane autogenous pressurization technology. It specifically verified multiple key reusable technologies for the first stage, such as propellant management based on baffled tanks, multiple engine restarts and high-altitude ignition, adaptability to complex thermal-mechanical environments, high-precision navigation and control, and net capture recovery on a sea platform.
Moving forward, the Long March 10B development team will continue to optimize the rocket's performance and accelerate the iterative upgrade of reusable rocket technology. It is expected that a reused flight of the first stage will be completed before the end of this year.
Comments