China's space program is making significant strides in reusable rocket technology, with the recent success of the Long March 10B and the upcoming Long March 10C. This development is a testament to China's commitment to reducing the cost of space travel and enhancing its commercial space capabilities. The Long March 10C, in particular, is set to become a commercial workhorse, with its all-methalox design and reusable gas-generator engines. This rocket is expected to surpass the capabilities of the Long March 5B, with a capacity to carry up to 25,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO). The Long March 10 series, which includes the 10A, 10B, and 10C, is being developed using advanced modular and serial design concepts, with the approach of using "one diameter, two types of engines, and three modules." This modularization will significantly improve the efficiency of future rocket manufacturing, assembly, testing, and launch. The Long March 10C is under intensive development and will strongly promote the industrialization of China's space transportation industry in the future. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) is working with Hainan Commercial Launch (HICAL) to develop third and fourth pads at the commercial spaceport, with both pads expected to be launch-capable by the end of 2026 and able to host Long March 10B and 10C missions. This will help ease a bottleneck in terms of access to launch infrastructure. The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) is also developing the methalox Long March 12A, which launched for the first time in December 2025, reaching orbit, but failing with the booster recovery attempt. The China Commercial Rocket Co. Ltd., which developed the Long March 12B, a nominally related kerolox rocket, has undergone recapitalization and restructuring, increasing its registered capital from 1.396 billion yuan to approximately 4.172 billion yuan ($616 million), with SAST vastly increasing its investment. China has both CALT and SAST developing and launching different lineages of reusable medium-lift launch vehicles, with launches from both Hainan and Jiuquan, providing flexibility and redundancy as the country seeks to greatly boost the tonnage it can deploy to orbit. The country also has a number of commercial companies developing reusable launchers, further aiding efforts to make programs such as megaconstellations viable, with the second flight of Landspace's Zhuque-3 expected in August. As part of longer-term reusability efforts, CASC is also working on 7-meter-diameter rockets as an intermediate step towards the super heavy-lift Long March 9. China's reusable rocket technology is a significant step forward in the global space race, with the potential to reduce the cost of space travel and enhance commercial space capabilities.
