The development of reusable rockets has become a priority for aerospace companies, as it allows for reduced costs per launch and potentially revolutionizes space exploration.
A major player in this field is SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, which is steadily advancing in this area thanks to the Starship rocket. However, other countries are also increasing their experience in this segment, particularly Japan.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently conducted the first test flight of its reusable rocket named RV-X. The rocket launched, remained airborne for about a minute, and then successfully landed during a demonstration at the Noshiro Test Center, located in the northeast of the country. According to Japanese authorities, all stages proceeded according to plan.
The rocket reached an altitude of approximately 11 meters, covered about 16 meters horizontally, and maintained a vertical position before landing. By creating its own reusable rocket, Japan aims to reduce the costs of space launches and increase its share in the global space market. Currently, only the United States is capable of conducting large-scale reusable rocket launches.
JAXA plans to conduct additional experimental flights to reach an altitude of about 100 meters. It is expected that RV-X will be able to replace the H3, which is currently the main launch vehicle in Japan. This rocket is being developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. RV-X has a diameter of 1.8 meters and a length of 7.3 meters, and it is equipped with four damping structures to ensure a soft landing.
China succeeded in testing an experimental rocket recovery system last Friday (10). The Long March 10B rocket was launched from the commercial space launch center located in Hainan, in the south of the country, at 1:15 AM Brasília time.
About six minutes after the propellant separated from the upper stage, the first stage returned vertically and was successfully recovered on a maritime platform, according to state broadcaster CCTV. With this achievement, the Chinese have reached a capability that is already the domain of American companies, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin: the ability to return the rocket to its starting point.
Beijing's purpose is to destabilize US supremacy in the reusable rocket segment. However, the method employed by China differs from that used by Americans. Unlike autonomously landing on solid ground with extendable legs or on a drone ship, the Long March 10B uses landing hooks that capture a net attached to a maritime platform.
This test represents the first successful recovery of an orbital-class propellant by China, consolidating nearly a decade of research and development in reuse technologies. Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the event as a 'historic day for China's space program.' This technical advance preserves the most valuable part of the rocket—the engine-containing propellant—which results in a drastic reduction in orbital operational costs.
For comparison, SpaceX launches the Falcon 9 approximately 150 times annually, reusing its propellants dozens of times. The Long March 10B, capable of carrying a minimum of 16 metric tons of payload to low Earth orbit, was designed for the commercial market by the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's main state rocket agency. This reuse technology is expected to decrease expenses for launching Chinese commercial satellite constellations.
China's goals are even broader: the Long March 10 line is being planned to conduct crewed missions to the Moon before 2030. In this context, the experimental model will serve to collect vital data and validate the necessary technologies for the lunar program. CCTV also reported that the country intends to reuse this same propulsion stage in another launch by the end of 2026.
