At 7th July , 2026 Beijing time, the Long March 10B Yao 1 carrier rocket began erection at Launch Complex 2 of the CNSA – China National Space Administration- Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China. . At midnight on July 7, the Long March 10B Y1 carrier rocket was successfully transferred to Launch Pad 2 at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site.
Long March 10B Y1 Awaits Launch Window] China’s first 5-meter-class reusable rocket, the Long March 10B Y1, has been transferred to its launch pad and is scheduled for its maiden flight between July 10th and 13th. Its core mission is to verify the world’s first “ocean-based net-system recovery” technology, where the rocket is captured by a net from the dedicated maritime platform “Navigator,” which is expected to significantly improve launch efficiency and accumulate key technologies for manned lunar missions
The Long March 10B Y1 carrier rocket was transferred to Launch Pad 2 of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site at midnight on July 7, 2026. The maiden flight window is set for July 10-13, and it will verify the world’s first “sea-based net system recovery” technology.
I. Current Latest Status
- At midnight on July 7, 2026, the rocket was successfully transferred to Launch Pad 2 at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site.
- The dedicated marine recovery platform “Navigator” has arrived at Sanya Nanshan Port and completed its deployment.
- The window for the maiden flight is set for July 10 to July 13.
II. Basic Rocket Information
1. Research and Development Unit and Positioning
The Long March 10B was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a commercial derivative of the Long March 10 series. It has stripped away the manned redundancy design and focuses on high-performance commercial cargo launches
2. Arrow body parameters
- Arrow diameter: 5 meters
- Total height of the rocket: approximately 70 meters
- Arrow body configuration: two-stage smooth rod configuration
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3. Power System
- Stage 1: Seven YF-100K/L liquid oxygen/kerosene engines in parallel (each with a thrust of 125 tons), generating a takeoff thrust of 892 tons.
- Level 2: 1 YF-219 liquid oxygen-methane engine
4. Carrying capacity (first-stage recovery status)
- 200 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) ≥ 16 tons.
- 900 km track ≥ 11 tons.
III. Core Tasks and Technological Highlights
1. Core Objectives of the First Flight
The core objective of this maiden flight mission is to verify the world’s first “sea-based net system recovery” technology and to comprehensively assess the performance of the entire process, from the first-stage ascent phase to the return phase
2. Principles of Marine Net Recycling Technology
- After the first stage of the rocket separated, it used grid fins to control its reentry trajectory and flew towards the designated sea area in the South China Sea.
- The “Navigator” recovery ship (144 meters long and 25,000 tons displacement) is equipped with a 36-meter-high “well”-shaped flexible barrier net.
- The first stage was precisely captured by the flexible net during the low-speed phase, achieving a “soft landing” without landing legs.
3. Technological Advantages
- By eliminating the traditional hydraulic landing legs, the rocket’s weight is reduced by approximately 15%.19
- Reduce the requirements for engine thrust accuracy.
- The long-term goal is to reduce launch costs to 20,000 yuan/kg, a reduction of over 60% compared to existing rockets (approximately 60,000 yuan/kg)
4. Differences from SpaceX’s vertical landing approach
- The Long March 10B uses a flexible net for capture at sea, eliminating the need for landing legs, reducing the weight of the rocket body, and increasing the fault tolerance rate, but it requires extremely high capture accuracy.19
- SpaceX uses engine-driven thrusters and landing legs for vertical landing, a mature technology, but the landing legs are heavier and require more precise thrust control.
IV. Strategic Positioning
The success of the Long March 10B will accumulate technical experience for the subsequent Long March 10 basic model (manned lunar landing rocket) with a three-and-a-half-stage CBC configuration, supporting China’s goal of manned lunar landing before 2030.
V. Risk Warning
- The first flight window, from July 10 to 13, may be adjusted due to technical adjustments or weather conditions. The final time will be subject to official announcements.
- This maiden flight focused on testing the reliability of the network system’s recovery capabilities; further flight verification is needed to assess its long-term reuse stability
- The launch cost target of 20,000 yuan/kg is a long-term plan and is difficult to achieve in the short term.
- Ocean recovery is far more difficult than land recovery and involves a certain degree of uncertainty. Only when the entire process is successfully tested can it be put into large-scale commercial use.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration