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Mia Nurmamat

After China became only the second nation after the US to achieve the controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster, the spotlight has fallen on the domestic shipbuilder behind the design of the recovery platform.
Following the maiden launch of China’s reusable Long March-10B rocket on Friday, the vehicle’s first-stage booster returned vertically and was caught by the Linghangzhe recovery platform, China’s first sea-based rocket recovery vessel to use a net-capture system.
The platform was developed by Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to the China-based maritime industry news platform eWorldship.
The feat marks another step in China’s efforts to narrow the gap with the United States in reusable launch technology – a gap that opened after Elon Musk’s SpaceX began developing reusable rockets to slash costs – while showcasing the country’s expertise in shipbuilding.
Unlike reusable rockets developed by SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which land autonomously on deployable legs, the Long March-10B uses four hooks that latch onto a net suspended from a sea-based recovery platform.
“The successful recovery marks China’s mastery of the full recovery technology for heavy-lift liquid rockets, ending the long-standing dominance of a single overseas-developed rocket recovery approach and establishing the world’s first sea-based net recovery system,” eWorldship said.
According to the news platform’s report, published on Saturday, the Linghangzhe was converted from an unpowered barge, a vessel without engines that must be towed by other ships.

Unlike conventional vessels, it must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy in rough seas, effectively providing a stable landing target for a rocket returning, eWorldship said.
Its structure must also withstand a very different kind of load. Rather than evenly distributed cargo, the recovery platform channels the force of a returning rocket through four large deck-mounted supports, placing far greater demands on its structural design, the report said.
The towering steel recovery system also raises the vessel’s centre of gravity, making it more susceptible to rolling in rough seas and requiring extensive simulations of wind and sea conditions before construction.
The platform, 144 metres (472 feet) in length and with a displacement of 25,000 tonnes, is equipped with a 36-metre-high capture net and a DP-2 dynamic positioning system, which enables it to hold steady in rough seas without anchoring through computer-controlled thrusters. The system can remain operational if a single critical component fails.
According to the eWorldship report, GSI completed the platform’s design by the end of 2024, began conversion work in April last year and delivered the platform in December.
The platform is equipped with fully domestically developed dynamic positioning and real-time ship-to-rocket control systems, while all key equipment – including propulsion integration and vibration reduction and monitoring systems – was sourced entirely from Chinese suppliers.
GSI, one of China’s leading commercial shipbuilders, is best known for constructing liquefied natural gas carriers, massive roll-on/roll-off or “ro-ro” ferries and advanced ocean research ships.


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Unlike conventional vessels, the platform must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy in rough seas


Unlike conventional vessels, the platform must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy in rough seas.


China’s historic sea-based rocket recovery puts spotlight on domestic shipbuilder

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Unlike conventional vessels, the platform must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy in rough seas

Unlike conventional vessels, the platform must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy in rough seas