China's Space Epoch (Sepoch), officially known as Beijing Jianyuan Technology, achieved a significant milestone on May 29, 2025, by successfully completing the country's first sea-based vertical landing of a reusable rocket. The Yuanxingzhe-1 (YXZ-1) rocket, also known as Hiker-1 in English, was launched from a floating platform in the Yellow Sea off the coast of Shandong Province.
The 125-second test flight saw the rocket reach an altitude of 2.5 kilometers before executing a controlled splashdown. This achievement marks a major advancement in China's commercial space sector and its efforts to develop reusable rocket technologies.
The Yuanxingzhe-1 rocket, powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen, demonstrated crucial functionalities, including engine shutdown, passive descent, reignition, and final deceleration. Space Epoch's success is hailed as a major breakthrough in reusable launch vehicle development, particularly for rockets using liquid methane propulsion and full stainless steel construction. The company plans an orbital flight test later in 2025 with its Hiker-1 rocket.