Reusable rockets taking off

New technology will cut launch costs, improve safety along path

Chinese rocket scientists are devising ways to enable some of their products to be reusable, according to senior space scientists.

Lu Yu, head of the science and technology committee at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, told China Daily in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that designers at the academy, the country's largest developer of launch vehicles, have begun making tests with some of China's in-service rockets to see whether they can be modified to be reusable, and whether their stages can be safely retrieved.