Several seconds later, the escape rocket and the return capsule separated at a predetermined altitude. The capsule's parachutes then deployed, bringing it to a designated area in the South China Sea.

Simultaneously, the Long March 10 first-stage booster continued its upward flight. At a certain point, its engines were temporarily shut down, allowing the rocket to coast on inertia. Soon after crossing the Karman Line, the globally recognized boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space, the booster deployed its grid fins, and its reaction control system was activated to regulate its descent and adjust its position.

During the descent, some of its engines were restarted twice to work in coordination with the grid fins and the reaction control system to reduce its speed and maintain the desired positions.