China is preparing to launch the Long March 10B rocket

China stands on the brink of a new era in space technology, as reported by Earth.uz.

The country is preparing for the first orbital launch of its Long March 10B rocket—a vehicle designed for multiple uses. According to aviation and maritime safety notices, this significant flight is expected to take place between July 10 and July 13 of this year.

The Long March 10B is a two-stage rocket powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen, intended to serve as a workhorse for China’s future lunar missions. Essentially, it is the cargo variant of the Long March 10A, which was developed to transport astronauts to low Earth orbit and eventually to the Moon.

Launching from the commercial spaceport on Hainan Island, this mission will serve as a critical test of the orbital capabilities of the new rocket series. Based on information from sources covering reusability and maritime operations, the most exciting part of the mission will be the attempt to return the rocket’s first stage back to Earth.

Currently, the rocket itself has been transported to the launch pad, while a specialized vessel has taken position in the estimated splashdown zone at sea. Equipped with a net-based capture system, the ship is tasked with safely retrieving the descending rocket section from the ocean surface.

If successful, this test will mark China’s third attempt to recover a rocket stage—following earlier trials with LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology’s Long March 12A.

However, what sets the Long March 10 series apart is its status as a national strategic project. From the perspectives of lunar missions and economic efficiency, the Long March 10 program occupies a central role in China’s space ambitions.

The ongoing advancement of reusable technologies promises to significantly reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit. This, in turn, could enable higher launch frequencies and strengthen competitiveness in the global space market.

It is worth noting that a pre-launch rehearsal for this rocket was conducted in April, though the main launch was delayed for unspecified reasons. Experts believe that a successful flight of the Long March 10B would greatly bolster China’s confidence in achieving its goal of landing taikonauts on the lunar surface by 2030.

For now, the global space community is closely watching the events unfolding in Hainan on July 10.