Demo Flight

First launch of the Long March 10B rocket and first ever successful rocket booster recovery of a Chinese launch vehicle. This launch also deployed a SatNet LEO constellation test satellite named Chuangxin-26 (CX-26) to LEO.

The Long March 10B is a reusable launch vehicle based on the 1st stage of the Long March 10A, in turn derived from a single 1st stage core of the Long March 10, with 7 YF-100 series kerosene/liquid oxygen staged-combustion cycle engines on the 1st stage. Like the Long March 10A, the 10B’s 1st stage is designed to be recovered downrange by a recovery barge equipped with an arrestor net and support frame, with the 1st stage landing on the net’s cables using its grid fins. The 2nd stage, however, uses a single YF-219 gas generator cycle methane/liquid oxygen engine with 140 tonnes of thrust. The Long March 10B became China's first orbital launch vehicle with its first stage booster being recovered, during its first launch on 10 July 2026.