China confirmed the Long March 10C methalox rocket as its commercial workhorse following the country's first successful orbital booster recovery on July 10. CALT, a subsidiary of CASC, caught the first stage of the Long March 10B using a net capture system aboard a recovery vessel, marking a decade-long effort to develop reusable rockets. The 10C will be an all-methalox design with reusable engines and is expected to become China's most capable operational rocket to low Earth orbit, surpassing the Long March 5B's roughly 25,000-kilogram capacity, though official specs haven't been released.
The Long March 10 series uses a modular design with one diameter, two engine types, and three modules to improve manufacturing and launch efficiency. The 10A will carry the Mengzhou crew spacecraft using kerolox engines, the 10B with methalox second stage accumulates flight data for human spaceflight while serving commercial missions, and the 10C will handle primary commercial launches. CALT is working with Hainan Commercial Launch to ready additional launch pads by end of 2026. Meanwhile, SAST has also increased investment in China Commercial Rocket, which is developing the Long March 12 line, giving China redundant reusable launcher development efforts across multiple facilities and commercial entities.