Long March 10B Set for April 28 Maiden Flight from Hainan
Summary: According to multiple media reports, the Long March 10B (CZ-10B) reusable launch vehicle has completed assembly and is being transferred to Pad 2 at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. The maiden flight is planned for April 28, 2026, with a simultaneous test of the world's first ocean-based net recovery system. If successful, this will be China's first fully recovered rocket.
Image credit: Composite from public sources
The Long March 10B is the cargo variant of the CZ-10 series — a two-stage liquid-fueled reusable rocket standing approximately 70.2 meters tall with a 5-meter diameter. The first stage uses liquid oxygen/kerosene propulsion with 7 YF-100N engines (approximately 130 tonnes thrust each), while the second stage employs a liquid oxygen/methane YF-219 engine with about 140 tonnes of vacuum thrust.
Unlike the crew-rated CZ-10A, the CZ-10B removes crew safety systems, resulting in a simpler structure. Its reusable configuration delivers no less than 16 tonnes to LEO (200 km) and approximately 11 tonnes to a 900 km sun-synchronous orbit at 50° inclination with first-stage recovery.
Key Innovation: World's First Ocean Net Recovery
The CZ-10B uses a fundamentally different recovery approach from SpaceX's Falcon 9 vertical landing legs — the world's first ocean-based net capture system. After stage separation, the first stage performs a controlled descent using engine relights and aerodynamic grid fins, then is captured by a ship-mounted net recovery platform. Each net system reportedly costs over 15 million yuan.
A CITIC Securities research note indicates that from late April onward, China's commercial space sector will enter an intensive reusable rocket verification window, with the CZ-10B's April 28 flight and Zhuque-3's second first-stage recovery attempt in Q2 expected to accelerate commercialization through reduced launch costs.
Sources (original pages)
- Long March 10B reusable rocket set for April 28 Hainan debut
- Behind the CZ-10B first flight: China's "net recovery" rocket
- CITIC Securities: Chinese commercial space entering reusable rocket verification window
- CZ-10B transferred to Hainan launch site Pad 2
Compiled from public media reports. Exact launch timing subject to official confirmation.