China Launches Reusable Spacecraft for 4th Time
By Reuters | 07 Feb, 2026

China had succeeded in getting its reusable spacecraft to return to designated landing sites on 3 prior occasions beginning in 2020.

The launch pad for the Long March-2F rocket stands, ahead of the Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission to China's Tiangong space station, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

China successfully launched into orbit a reusable experimental spacecraft aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported. 

The mission will carry out technological verification for reusable spacecraft, providing technical support for the peaceful use of space, Xinhua said, without disclosing how long the craft will remain in orbit.

No other details were given on what technologies were tested or how high the craft flew in the report.

It is the fourth time the country has launched a reusable spacecraft since 2020.

The development of reusable spacecraft is considered critical to eventually increasing the frequency and lowering per-mission costs of spaceflight.

The country successfully launched its reusable experimental spacecraft for the first time in September 2020, when it flew in orbit for two days.

A spacecraft launched in August 2022 returned to Earth in May 2023 after 276 days in orbit, while in September 2024 a spacecraft launched from the Jiuquan facility successfully returned to its designated landing site after 268 days in orbit, according to Xinhua.

(Reporting by Ellen Zhang, Laurie Chen and Ryan Woo; Editing by Toby Chopra)