The Chinese Catch Up

With the successful recovery of a Long March 10B first stage, the US is losing its monopoly on reusable launch vehicles.

The Chinese space agency has just succeeded in recovering their first orbital booster. The Long March 10B carries comparable payload to the Falcon 9, and uses the same propellants in the first stage. It launched yesterday morning from Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island, and minutes later the first stage was recovered downrange on a specially designed boat, featuring a distinctive catching mechanism.