Reusable launch system

The reusable rocket sled was recovered for the first time at hypersonic speed

The launch was carried out with a reusable Falcon 9 rocket

A new Chinese carrier rocket made its first flight on Tuesday under a long-term plan to develop reusable launch vehicles aimed at reducing mission costs and speed up launch schedules for commercial clients.

The medium-lift Long March 8 Y-1 blasted off at 12:37 p.m. (0437 GMT) from the southern Chinese island of Hainan carrying five satellites, state media reported.

SpaceX's Starship prototype exploded while attempting to land on Dec. 9 after an otherwise successful test launch from the company's rocket facility in Boca Chica, Texas, live video of the flight showed.

In line with its space program, the Chinese space agency plans to build a reuseable missile, super-heavy rocket and space shuttle over the next 20 years.

The first goal is Next Generation Chanchion to be launched by 2020. Its purpose is to use it as a cheap light rocket to extract relatively small satellites in low-Earth orbit.