Updated

Updated · CNN · Jul 10

China Recovers Long March 10B Booster in 1st Orbital-Class Landing, Deploys Satellite

Updated

Updated · CNN · Jul 10

China Recovers Long March 10B Booster in 1st Orbital-Class Landing, Deploys Satellite

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 · CNN · Jul 10

Six minutes after stage separation, the Long March 10B first-stage booster landed vertically on a floating platform off Hainan during an orbital launch test, while the mission also placed a satellite into orbit.
CCTV footage showed the booster descending smoking onto the platform, and state-backed rocket maker CASC called the recovery a historic breakthrough for China’s reusable launch capability.
The landing moves China closer to U.S. rivals in a technology that cuts launch costs and turnaround times and underpins satellite deployment, space exploration and military-linked space capacity.
The Long March-10 series is central to China’s crewed moon plans, as Beijing pushes its state and commercial space sectors to close a gap with SpaceX and Blue Origin.