China Recovers Rocket Booster from Sea Based
Net
Unlike conventional vessels, the platform
must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy in rough seas
·
China
became the second country after the United States to successfully
achieve the controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster,
marking a major milestone in reusable space technology.
·
The
breakthrough followed the maiden launch of China's reusable Long March-10B
rocket, whose first-stage booster landed vertically and was recovered at
sea.
·
The
booster was captured by the Linghangzhe
recovery platform, the world's first sea-based rocket recovery vessel using
a net-capture system.
·
The
recovery platform was jointly developed by Guangzhou Shipyard International,
a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and the Chinese
Academy of Sciences.
·
The
achievement advances China's efforts to close the technological gap with the
United States in reusable launch systems, an area pioneered by SpaceX
and Blue Origin.
·
Unlike
SpaceX and Blue Origin rockets, which land on deployable legs, the Long
March-10B uses four hooks that latch onto a suspended net mounted on
a floating recovery platform.
·
Chinese
media described the achievement as China's mastery of full recovery
technology for heavy-lift liquid rockets and the establishment of the world's
first sea-based net recovery system.
·
The Linghangzhe platform was converted from an unpowered
barge, requiring extensive engineering modifications to support rocket
recovery operations.
·
The
vessel is designed to maintain exceptional stability and precise positioning
in rough seas, providing a stable landing target for vertically descending
rockets.
·
Its
structural design accommodates the concentrated impact forces transmitted
through four deck-mounted support structures, unlike conventional cargo
vessels that distribute loads evenly.
·
The
installation of a 36-metre-high steel capture net increased the vessel's
centre of gravity, necessitating extensive wind and wave simulations to ensure
operational stability.
·
Key
specifications of the recovery platform include:
o
Length: 144 metres
o
Displacement: 25,000 tonnes
o
Capture
net height: 36
metres
o
DP-2
Dynamic Positioning System,
enabling precise station-keeping without anchoring and continued operation
despite failure of one critical component.
·
According
to industry reports, the platform's:
o
design
was completed by end-2024,
o
conversion
work began in April 2025, and
o
delivery
was completed in December 2025.
·
All
critical technologies, including the dynamic positioning system, ship-to-rocket
real-time control system, propulsion integration, vibration reduction and
monitoring equipment, were developed and sourced entirely within China.
·
Guangzhou
Shipyard International is one
of China's leading commercial shipbuilders and is also known for constructing LNG
carriers, roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferries and advanced ocean research vessels,
highlighting China's expanding integration of maritime and aerospace
engineering capabilities.
After
China became only the second nation after the US to achieve the controlled recovery
of an orbital-class rocket booster, the spotlight has fallen on the domestic shipbuilder
behind the design of the recovery platform.
Following
the maiden launch of China’s reusable Long March-10B rocket on Friday, the vehicle’s
first-stage booster returned vertically and was caught by the Linghangzhe recovery platform, China’s first sea-based rocket
recovery vessel to use a net-capture system.
The
platform was developed by Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), a subsidiary of
China State Shipbuilding Corporation, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy
of Sciences, according to the China-based maritime industry news platform eWorldship.
The
feat marks another step in China’s efforts to narrow the gap with the United States
in reusable launch technology – a gap that opened after Elon Musk’s SpaceX began
developing reusable rockets to slash costs – while showcasing the country’s expertise
in shipbuilding.
Unlike
reusable rockets developed by SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which land autonomously
on deployable legs, the Long March-10B uses four hooks that latch onto a net suspended
from a sea-based recovery platform.
“The
successful recovery marks China’s mastery of the full recovery technology for heavy-lift
liquid rockets, ending the long-standing dominance of a single overseas-developed
rocket recovery approach and establishing the world’s first sea-based net recovery
system,” eWorldship said.
According
to the news platform’s report, published on Saturday, the Linghangzhe
was converted from an unpowered barge, a vessel without engines that must be towed
by other ships.
Unlike
conventional vessels, it must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy
in rough seas, effectively providing a stable landing target for a rocket returning,
eWorldship said.
Its
structure must also withstand a very different kind of load. Rather than evenly
distributed cargo, the recovery platform channels the force of a returning rocket
through four large deck-mounted supports, placing far greater demands on its structural
design, the report said.
The
towering steel recovery system also raises the vessel’s centre of gravity, making
it more susceptible to rolling in rough seas and requiring extensive simulations
of wind and sea conditions before construction.
The
platform, 144 metres (472 feet) in length and with a displacement of 25,000 tonnes,
is equipped with a 36-metre-high capture net and a DP-2 dynamic positioning system,
which enables it to hold steady in rough seas without anchoring through computer-controlled
thrusters. The system can remain operational if a single critical component fails.
According
to the eWorldship report, GSI completed the platform’s
design by the end of 2024, began conversion work in April last year and delivered
the platform in December.
The
platform is equipped with fully domestically developed dynamic positioning and real-time
ship-to-rocket control systems, while all key equipment – including propulsion integration
and vibration reduction and monitoring systems – was sourced entirely from Chinese
suppliers.
GSI,
one of China’s leading commercial shipbuilders, is best known for constructing liquefied
natural gas carriers, massive roll-on/roll-off or “ro-ro” ferries and advanced ocean
research ships.