On June 10, China recovered, for the first time, an orbital rocket stage, step that brings her closer to USA in the race for space supremacy.
The operation was carried out in the south of the country, using a technique never used before.
SpaceX was the first company to achieve a feat like this, and since then it has led the ranking of controlled returns of rockets.
What was the landing of the Long March 10B like?
The maneuver in question occurred 10 minutes after the inaugural launch of the Long March 10B from the Wenchang base on Hainan Island.
The recovery system was developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and was mounted on the deck of the Linghang Zhe ship, located in the South China Sea.
It is a set of tensioned cables that forms a structure to keep the rocket stage in the air. In turn, it has four hooks that are embedded in the net.
At the time of capture, the segment arrived in a vertical position and with a very low speed. Its engines were turned on during the descent to slow the fall and correct the trajectory. In the final seconds, the rocket was positioned on the platform and the hooks were attached to the structure.
The model differs both of SpaceX technology, that lands its boosters on legs on maritime platforms or land bases, such as the method used in the Starship rocket, captured by robotic arms attached to the launch tower itself.
By removing weight from the legs and retracting the structure a certain distance from the base, Chinese engineering saves fuel during descent and preserves payload capacity.
China had carried out a previous test in February with a Long March 10A. In that test, the stage completed a controlled descent and fell into the sea next to the platform prepared to receive it. In this Friday’s attempt, the propeller was captured and kept out of the water.
SpaceX, leader in rocket recoveries
Rockets were disposable vehicles for decades. The first stage exhausted its fuel during ascent, separated and was destroyed when falling into the ocean or passing through the atmosphere.
This segment contains the engines, tanks and a good part of the systems used during takeoff. Recovering it allows us to review its components, prepare it for another mission and avoid manufacturing a complete propellant for each flight.
When he recovered a part of the Falcon 9 in December 2015, SpaceX became the first company to land the stage of an orbital rocket. After that, Elon Musk’s company transformed the maneuver into a regular operation and has already accumulated more than 600 propellant recoveries.
This capability allowed it to launch more frequently and reduce the time needed between missions. The Falcon 9 makes around 150 flights per year and supports much of the Starlink deployment, in addition to transporting commercial satellites and cargo for NASA.
