China used a giant net to land a reusable rocket. Does the idea have legs?

AI Summary

China successfully recovered a reusable orbital-class rocket using a giant net on a ship in the South China Sea, an innovative approach that may reduce space launch costs.

China’s successful recovery of a reusable rocket has sparked debate among aerospace experts over whether its unconventional approach could actually cut the cost of reaching space. On Friday, the country’s Long March-10B became the first orbital-class rocket outside the United States to return to Earth and be recovered intact. The rocket’s first-stage booster deployed four hooks as it descended and was then caught by a giant net on a ship waiting in the South China Sea. SpaceX and Blue Origin do...