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

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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