Long March 10B / 长征十号乙
Long March 10B is the Chinese launch vehicle at the center of 如何「兜住」一颗火箭？｜ S10E21. The episode says it flew as a two-stage, no-booster rocket, with a first stage related to Long March 10A / 长征十号甲 and a second stage using liquid-oxygen/methane technology.
The source’s main claim is that Long March 10B demonstrates a different reusable-rocket route from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Starship. Instead of landing legs or tower catch, its first stage uses hooks and Sea-Net Rocket Recovery on the 领航者号 Recovery Ship, shifting some structural and damping burden from rocket to recovery platform.
The episode treats the first successful catch as a beginning rather than a finished business model. To matter economically, the recovered first stage still needs Reusable Rocket Turnaround: inspection, corrosion assessment, engine checks, control-system validation, consumable replacement, and enough repeated flight data to prove cadence and cost reduction.
Connections
- Jerry / 太空僧 — guest explaining the vehicle and recovery sequence.
- Long March 10A / 长征十号甲 — related Long March 10 family vehicle whose first-stage technology is said to shorten development.
- Sea-Net Rocket Recovery, Marine Recovery Platform Control, Rocket Propellant Settling, and Electro-Hydrostatic Rocket Servo — technical route and subsystem concepts highlighted by the episode.
- Rocket Recovery Route Choice and Reusable Rocket Economics — broader comparison frame for reusable launch.
- Zhuque-3 / 朱雀三号 and Long March 12A / 长征十二号甲 — Chinese reusable-rocket comparison cases.