China Recovers Long March 10B Booster After 1st Orbital-Class Reusable Launch

Q: With China's new reusable rocket, how soon will it build its planned moon base?

Not soon in the sense of a finished human moon base. China’s current timeline points to early groundwork by about 2029, a first crewed lunar landing around 2030, and broader base construction through the 2030s. The reusable Long March 10B matters because it should lower launch costs and improve the cadence of cargo and crew missions. But one successful booster recovery does not mean China can immediately build the International Lunar Research Station. The moon base plan still depends on several steps: robotic precursor missions, testing lunar construction methods, delivering cargo reliably, and then sending astronauts. China’s near-term plan is for Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 to help establish the basic outline of the lunar station by the end of the decade. Those missions are expected to scout the site, test resource use on the Moon, and try early construction-related technologies such as making materials from lunar soil. The more decisive milestone is China’s target of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030. The Long March 10 family is central to that effort, including transporting crews and cargo. In that sense, the new reusable rocket is an enabling technology, not the moon base itself. So the realistic answer is that China may begin laying the foundations of its planned moon base before 2030, but a functioning, more permanent outpost is more likely to take shape gradually during the 2030s rather than in the next few years.

3 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · Jul 10

China recovered the Long March 10B’s first stage on Friday about six minutes after separation, landing the booster vertically on a sea platform after its maiden flight.
The recovery marked China’s first controlled orbital-class booster retrieval, making it only the second nation to achieve the feat, according to state media.
CCTV said the launch validated the 70-meter rocket’s first-stage reusability design, a step aimed at lowering launch costs for future missions.
The two-stage, medium-lift Long March 10B uses seven YF-100K engines on its first stage and can carry up to 16 tonnes to low Earth orbit, mainly for cargo missions.