China's second attempt to test a reusable rocket has failed after the booster of the Long March 12A was not recovered during its first flight on Tuesday, state developer China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said.
The rocket launched from northwestern China and successfully placed its upper stage into orbit, but the crucial first-stage booster did not land safely, meaning the reusability test was unsuccessful. CASC said it is reviewing the flight to determine what went wrong, adding that valuable engineering data was still collected.
China races to catch up with SpaceX
Reusable rockets are seen as key to cutting launch costs and competing with Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has mastered booster recovery and dominates the market for low-Earth orbit satellites through its Starlink network.
China has launched many satellites in recent years but has yet to successfully recover a rocket booster. Both state-owned firms and private startups are now rushing to develop reusable launch systems, as Beijing seeks to narrow the gap with the United States in space technology.