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For the first time, China successfully lands a “SpaceX-style” reusable rocket.

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– China has successfully landed a reusable rocket for the first time, marking a “historic breakthrough” for the country’s space technology.

The Long March 10B rocket was launched from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China’s Hainan Province.


After separation of its two stages, the first stage returned and was successfully caught upright on sea-borne net-capture platform.

The rocket also flew a satellite into “its predetermined orbit” on Friday, state news agency Xinhua reported.

“Approximately six minutes after the first and second stages separated, the first stage returned vertically and was successfully recovered at a sea-based recovery platform using a net system,” China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said in a statement.

“It signifies a historic breakthrough for my country in the field of reusable rocket technology and will lay a solid foundation for accelerating the improvement of my country’s space access capabilities,” CASC said.

China’s Long March 10B rocket has been compared to the SpaceX Falcon 9.

Developed by the country’s main state rocket developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), it is capable of carrying a payload of at least 16 metric tons to low-Earth orbit.

But unlike the Elon Musk-owned company’s pioneering rocket, the Long March 10B does not autonomously use deployable legs to land on a ship or a ground-based pad.

Instead, it uses “landing hooks” to latch onto the net attached to a sea-borne platform, Xinhua reported.

“Net-based recovery helps simplify the rocket’s onboard structure, reduces vehicle mass and increases payload capacity. It is also highly adaptable to landing-point deviations, as coordinated net ⁠systems can effectively expand the capture window,” CALT expert Chen Muye told Chinese state media.

So far, SpaceX has demonstrated rocket recovery in 2015, followed by the Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin in November last year.

SpaceX has launched its Falcon 9 nearly 150 times a year, and even reused its recovered rocket dozens of times.

Meanwhile, China has spent nearly a decade developing reusable rockets, first testing low-altitude space vehicles and later experimenting with long-range orbital-class booster recovery.

The Long March-10B rocket is a reusable liquid-fueled vehicle built for commercial launches and stands approximately 63m (206ft) tall with a diameter of 5m (16ft).

Its first stage burns kerosene and liquid oxygen (LOX), while the second stage uses LOX and liquid methane, according to CALT. 

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PSX opens on a positive note, gains over 1,300 points in early trading

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 The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened Tuesday’s trading session on a positive note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbing more than 1,300 points.

The index surged to 164,368 points during early trading, reflecting a strong upward movement in the market.

In the previous session, the benchmark index had settled at 163,038 points.

The latest rally marks a positive start to the trading day, with the market gaining momentum after the previous session’s close.
 

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Pakistan squad announced for ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy

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Muneeba Ali will lead Pakistan in ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday named a 14-member squad for the forthcoming ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 to be held in Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from November 12 to 25.

The squad also includes hitters Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Sadaf Shamas, Saira Jabeen and Shawaal Zulfiqar. Ayesha Zafar has been appointed the vice-captain. The squad also includes Gull Feroza who was declared the best wicketkeeper-batter in the recently ended National Women’s T20 Tournament.

Left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu will head the bowling assault alongside Momina Riasat, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani in the spin quartet. The frontline pace options in the squad are Tasmia Rubab and Waheeda Akhtar.

The Pakistan women’s team has earned the Bronze Medal in the Asian Games in Japan. Sadaf and Waheeda have been recalled, while twelve players have retained their spot in the team from Pakistan’s last assignment. Regular skipper Fatima Sana will also be missing from Pakistan’s contingent as she will be in Australia playing her inaugural Women’s Big Bash League season.

The event involves 10 teams in two groups and 30 matches. Pakistan participate in Group B with Bangladesh, Thailand, Netherlands and Zimbabwe. Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland Papua New Guinea and hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE)

After the single-league round-robin round, three clubs from each group will qualify for the Super Six stage, where they will play three matches each. The final will be played on Wednesday November 25 between the top two teams from the Super Six stage.

Pakistan squad will gather in Lahore on November 6 and it will have a pre-tournament training camp on November 7, 8 and 9 before flying to UAE.

14-man squad

Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (c & wk), Ayesha Zafar (vc), Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza (wk), Momina Riasat, Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar

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Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Houthi missiles, drones attacking kingdom

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The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles and drones launched at two areas of the kingdom by the Iran-aligned group, as the battle between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis escalates.

The coalition reported the Houthis launched three ballistic missiles toward the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia and four drones toward the Southern Region of the kingdom.

Saudi Civil Defence warned of a possible hostile threat in the Eastern Region and in the governorate of Kharj, and later said the risk has passed in both places.

Last month, the Houthis captured key strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, moving closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical global shipping lane for Gulf oil producers across the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz. Since then, Saudi Arabia has stepped up its strikes against the Houthis.

The two sides have resumed fire, shattering a 2022 UN-brokered truce that had largely kept strikes at bay between the Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, and the Houthis who control the capital Sanaa.

The escalation also opens up a new front in the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

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