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China launches its first rocket recovery ship, marking major step in reusable rocket development

Global Times

By Deng Xiaoci Published: Aug 07, 2025 04:40 PM

China has officially launched its first and the world's fifth carrier rocket maritime recovery ship, becoming the second nation after the US to possess such a vessel. The launch of the ship, codenamed Xingji Guihang, or the Interstellar Return, marks a solid step forward in China's reusable rocket maritime recovery technology, Global Times learned from the developers on Thursday.

The ship will support the recovery work for the returning first stage of SQX-3 large reusable launch vehicle, which is developed by the Beijing-based private rocket maker iSPACE. The firm told the Global Times on Thursday that it aims to conduct an "orbit entrance + maritime recovery" test flight around the end of 2025.

The newly launched vessel boasts a robust structure: approximately 100 meters long, 42 meters wide, with a recovery deck measuring 40 meters by 60 meters, sufficient to securely support the returning first-stage rocket.

With a displacement of 17,000 tons and equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system, the ship can precisely capture rockets in Sea State 4 and navigate steadily in Sea State 5, offering flexibility in recovery points and safety. Its intelligent unmanned operation mode enhances security and convenience during recovery tasks, while a dedicated storage compartment meets the needs of maritime rocket component transport.

Sea State 4 and Sea State 5 are classifications from the World Meteorological Organization's sea state scale, which describes ocean conditions based on wave height, wind speed and overall sea behavior.

Sea State 4 is relatively moderate, with wave heights about 1.25 to 2.5 meters and wind speeds of 11-16 knots, while Sea State 5 is considered rough, with wave heights of 2.5 to 4 meters and wind speeds of 17-21 knots.

After the launch of the rocket recovery ship, it will undergo critical assessment and acceptance procedures, including outfitting, integrated testing of shipboard mechanical and electrical equipment, ship performance testing, and sea trials. It is scheduled to arrive in South China's Hainan Province in September for large-scale maritime exercises and further testing.

In the future, the ship could support more medium- and large-sized reusable rockets maritime recovery missions.

The US has used several ships for rocket recovery, primarily associated with NASA and SpaceX operations.

Regarding the SQX-3 development, the iSPACE told the Global Times that the rocket model has a maximum payload capacity of 14 tons, with development work efficiently progressing toward the goal of "orbit entrance + recovery."

Both onboard and ground-based systems have been put into production, and comprehensive capability planning and development have been conducted across the entire process, including assembly, testing, launch, recovery and reuse. Currently, iSPACE has begun producing three reusable Hyperbola-3 rockets, with the first "orbit entrance + maritime recovery" flight test expected by the end of 2025.

A reuse flight test is planned for 2026, and in the future, the rocket will provide launch services for deploying China's massive low-orbit internet constellation, the firm said.