China recovers rocket stage on land for the first time – Japan tests reusable launch vehicle one day later

Already on July 12, 2026, one day after China's success, Japan completed the first test flight of a reusable rocket, according to the Japanese space agency. The vehicle launched and landed safely, expanding Japan's membership in the circle of countries that possess their own reusable launchers. Industry observers see the success as a signal of growing diversity in the Asia-Pacific space sector.

Race with SpaceX and Blue Origin

In recent years, international attention has been drawn primarily to the US company SpaceX founded by Elon Musk and the space company Blue Origin founded by Jeff Bezos, which regularly land stages with their Falcon 9 and New Shepard rockets respectively. With the successes of China and Japan, the competition for reusable systems is now also visibly gaining momentum in East Asia.

The Long March-10B is part of a new generation of Chinese launch vehicles that, according to Xinhua, is being developed for crewed lunar missions and future heavy-lift transport into space. A controlled recovery of the stage is considered a prerequisite for launching the rockets again at short intervals and thus increasing launch cadence. Concrete plans for the next test have not yet been announced.

Japan, meanwhile, is relying on a slim, smaller-class launch vehicle designed to enable launches at comparatively low cost in the early phase of commercial spaceflight. The successful return of the stage is evidence of the growing technological maturity of the program, it was said from Tokyo. An official confirmation of the exact timing of further flights is still pending.

Outlook on further test flights

Observers see the two events as an indication that reusable rockets are becoming the new international standard. Since each flight of a conventional disposable rocket costs tens of millions of dollars, recoverable stages promise a noticeable reduction in launch costs and thus broader access to orbit and space.

At the same time, experts point out that technical hurdles remain to be overcome before a fully reusable system, as used in US spaceflight, can be achieved. These include, for example, heat resistance during re-entries, the precise control of large stages, and maintenance between flights. The current successes in China and Japan are therefore regarded as intermediate goals on a longer development path.

Looking ahead to the coming months, the industry expects further test flights from both countries, possible commercial launches, and the expansion of corresponding launch facilities. The upcoming flight trials will show whether the People's Republic and Japan can keep pace with the United States and, in the longer term, serve their own commercial markets in orbit.