WENCHANG, Hainan, July 10 (Xinhua) -- China successfully launched the Long March-10B carrier rocket at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province on Friday, achieving its first-ever controlled recovery of a carrier rocket's first stage.

Photo: Xinhua

The rocket, in its maiden flight, sent the payload into the preset orbit.

After the separation of the rocket's first and second stages, the first stage returned and was successfully captured on a seaborne platform via a net-capture system. Both the launch and the first-stage recovery were successfully completed.

This mission marked China's first successful controlled recovery of a carrier rocket's first stage, representing a major breakthrough in the country's reusable rocket technology.