China's Reusable Rocket Chang Zheng 10B Moved to Launch Pad

China's Chang Zheng 10B (CZ-10B) carrier rocket, described as the nation's first reusable liquid-propellant rocket with a 5-meter core diameter, has been successfully moved to the Hainan Commercial Spaceport and erected on launch pad 2. This signifies that the rocket's maiden flight mission has entered its final preparation phase.

The CZ-10B, developed by China Academy of Space Technology, features a two-and-a-half-stage configuration. Its first stage is equipped with seven 120-ton thrust liquid oxygen and kerosene engines, giving the rocket a liftoff weight of approximately 540 tons and a height of about 70 meters. With its first stage recovered intact, the rocket is designed for a near-Earth orbit payload capacity of no less than 16 tons and a 900 km sun-synchronous orbit capacity of no less than 11 tons, placing its performance within a similar range to SpaceX's Falcon 9.

The maiden flight aims to validate a novel "sea-based net recovery" technique for the rocket's first stage. Unlike the vertical landing approach using landing legs employed by Falcon 9, the CZ-10B's first stage will forgo landing legs. Instead, it will release a specialized hook at the end of its re-entry, to be captured by a large net system deployed from a recovery vessel. This approach simplifies the rocket's structure, reduces dead weight, and potentially enhances payload efficiency for its size while also easing the complexity of attitude control during re-entry.

The launch window for the CZ-10B's first flight is set between July 10 and July 13, 2026. If the net recovery of the first stage is successful, China would become the second country globally to master reusable rocket technology for large-capacity launchers. The data gathered from this recovery test will also support China's crewed lunar landing mission planned before 2030.