China developing parachute system to recover reusable rocket parts

Chinese engineers are working on a parachute system for recovering rocket boosters and fairings during launches.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the system will be used to help make the recovery of reusable rocket parts more precise and controllable.

According to the research team, the system, which uses glide-control technology, can narrow the landing range to a smaller area than the usual range of 30 to 90 kilometers. Together with landing buffering technology, it will enable the boosters and fairings to remain intact after landing on the ground.

China's major launch sites are deep inland, which means that preventing fallen rocket parts from landing unpredictably, especially in areas with human activity, has become an urgent key task for scientists.

Teng Haishan, a deputy chief engineer of the project, said the recovery system can also help lower the price of rocket launches, providing more economical services.

"In the past two years, China has conducted carrier rocket launches more than 50 times each year. Once such a recovery system is in place, more than 1 billion yuan (about 145 million U.S. dollars) in launch costs can be saved each year," Teng noted.

The parachute system was unveiled at a recent national innovation competition. According to its makers, the system is currently in the final stage of development.