One of the most interesting things about SpaceX, they just keep adding to their stack of internal capabilities. And with those capabilities, more and more things become doable for them that most can't do.
China seems to be catching up though. They will probably have at least one fully reusable rocket in 2-3 years.
The net and hook approach they've showcased so far seem to save 1-2 extra tons of dead weight (fuel needed for landing), so that would also give the Chinese an economic advantage.
What makes you think that they'll get upper stage reuse that quickly? From what I can tell, they're still working to replicate the Falcon 9. Their Starship competitor (Long March 9) isn't expected to go to first flight until 2033, and presumably it'll take a bit to get to full reuse.
[–] kroaton 2 days ago
[–] ericd 2 days ago