HAIKOU, China, July 20. /TASS/. The Linghangzhe platform vessel, designed for recovering reusable rockets, has successfully completed its maiden mission and returned to the port of Sanya on Hainan Island, the Sanya Ribao newspaper reported. The successful test makes China the first country in the world to safely land the first stage of a CZ-10B rocket onto a specialized recovery net installed on the ship's deck during operations in the South China Sea.

The test marks the world’s first sea-based recovery of a CZ-10B (Long March 10B) rocket's first stage using a deck-mounted net system. According to industry experts, this became a "new benchmark" for reusable space technology and is expected to significantly boost China's competitiveness in the global space sector.

The project's success relied on seamless coordination between aerospace and maritime engineers. This cross-sector collaboration allowed the rocket to touch down on the vessel with millimeter accuracy, despite the challenging and unpredictable conditions of the high seas.

The publication highlights that only 14 months passed between the approval of the project's feasibility study in September 2024 and the commissioning of the barge, which was converted into an offshore platform. To guarantee the Linghangzhe's safe passage, the Sanya Coast Guard coordinated with relevant authorities to map out a route that bypassed major commercial shipping lanes, eliminating any risks to underwater pipelines, tourist boats, and fishing vessels.

The article notes that the platform vessel received its ownership and registration documents on December 18, 2025, intentionally coinciding with Hainan's transition to a new customs regime. According to the newspaper, this milestone symbolizes the parallel growth of China's aerospace sector and the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

The operation itself took place on July 10 at 12:15 p.m. Beijing time (04:15 a.m. GMT), when the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation successfully launched the CZ-10B from the commercial pad of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan's northeastern coast. About six minutes after stage separation, the rocket's first stage executed a controlled vertical landing onto the Linghangzhe.