Why China’s first rocket recovery ship is a milestone for its space programme

SCMP | Aug. 8, 2025, 4:27 a.m. | Original
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaks towards space after lifting off in February. The US company was the first to use drone ships to recover reusable rocket boosters, a technology that China is now testing. Photo: AFP

China has launched its first drone ship to recover reusable rockets – becoming only the second country after the United States to master the technology – as Beijing pushes forward with its ambitious space programme.

The launch of the new vessel marks a major step forward for China’s push to develop reusable rockets – a technology seen as vital to helping the country cut the cost of space travel and develop a commercial space industry .
Beijing aims to catch up with the US in an intensifying space race by replicating America’s approach of combining state and private sector investment , which paved the way for Elon Musk’s SpaceX to drive a series of technological breakthroughs.

The new vessel – named the Xingji Guihang , or “Interstellar Return” – was developed by the Beijing-based private aerospace firm iSpace, and it will eventually be used to recover reusable rockets developed by several Chinese manufacturers.

“The vessel is designed for the launch of iSpace’s SQX-3 rocket later this year,” the company said in an article published on Tuesday. “In the future, it will also be compatible with sea recovery missions for various medium-to-large reusable rockets.”

Like SpaceX’s drone ships, the iSpace vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system and can operate autonomously. It has a recovery deck area of 2,400 square metres – large enough to fit a returning first-stage rocket booster.

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