Another Chinese Reusable Rocket Mission Fails Within Weeks

A Chinese reusable rocket that launched into space fell short of its mission to be recovered, marking the second such incident this month and illustrating the difficulties the country faces chasing Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The Long March-12A, developed by state-owned China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp., entered its planned orbit after taking off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone in northwest China on Tuesday morning, but the recovery part of the mission failed, the company said in a WeChat statement. The specific cause is currently under investigation, it said.