Yushi Space Completes China’s First Full-Scale 100‑Ton Catch‑Arm Tests for Reusable Rocket

Overview

• Yushi Space said its 100‑ton‑class capture arms passed a 78‑day ground verification campaign and have been delivered for integrated testing.
• The system uses multimodal perception and precision control to stabilize and catch a returning booster in complex conditions.
• Engineers instrumented over 1,000 sensor points and ran extreme‑load trials exceeding 100 tons to validate structural strength and recovery mechanisms.
• The company claims the arm could cut 4–6 tons of booster dry mass compared with landing legs and aims for a recovered launch price near RMB 10,000 per kilogram.
• Next milestones include static‑fire tests for the AS‑1 second stage, full‑scale catch‑arm joint trials, first‑stage assembly and static‑fire, and full‑stack integration; AS‑1 is a stainless‑steel, LOX‑methane, two‑stage rocket about 70 meters tall with up to 15.7 tons to LEO expendable and 10 tons reusable.