China takes a page from SpaceX and recaptures the first stage of a rocket

China successfully recaptured the first stage of a rocket after a launch on Friday in a breakthrough for the country’s space program, state media said.

China successfully recaptured the first stage of a rocket after a launch on Friday in a breakthrough for the country’s space program, state media said.

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The first stage of a Long March-10B rocket separated from the second stage after liftoff and returned to a platform in the sea, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

It was the first time China recovered the first stage of a rocket. America’s SpaceX has been doing so for several years to drive down launch costs by reusing the booster that helps lift the satellites or whatever the rocket is carrying into space.