China's Landspace Recovers Booster with Second Orbital Launch of Zhuque-3 Rocket
Landspace successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket following the second launch of the rocket from the Gobi Desert.
Landspace has achieved a significant milestone in the development of its Zhuque-3 rocket by successfully recovering the first stage of the vehicle after its second orbital launch.
The second Zhuque-3 rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone within the national Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on August 18. The first and second stages separated 137 seconds into the flight, and the first stage completed a powered descent and vertical landing at a landing site around 390 kilometers downrange in Minqin County, Gansu Province.
Zhuque-3 Rocket Specifications
| Zhuque-3 | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 4.5 meters |
| Mass at liftoff | 570 metric tons |
| Height | 66 meters |
| Payload capacity to LEO | 21,000 kilograms (expendable), 18,300 kg (with first stage recovery) |
The second stage of the Zhuque-3 rocket went on to insert the Honghu 03 satellite into orbit, according to a post-launch Landspace statement. The Honghu 03 satellite was built by Landspace's satellite manufacturing affiliate, Hongqing Technology.
Landspace's Achievement
Landspace's successful recovery of the Zhuque-3 rocket's first stage marks the company's second booster recovery, following China's first orbital booster recovery attempt with the Long March 10B rocket. Globally, Landspace becomes the third entity, after SpaceX and Blue Origin, to successfully land an orbital booster on legs.
The Zhuque-3 rocket has a payload capacity comparable to the Falcon 9, making it a significant player in the medium-lift rocket market. Landspace's achievement is a significant step towards establishing a reliable medium-lift rocket and demonstrating recoverability and attempting reusability.
Future Plans
Landspace plans to support China's efforts to build the Guowang and Thousand Sails megaconstellations in low Earth orbit. The success of the Zhuque-3 rocket will also have relevance for Landspace's pending STAR Market IPO bid. The company aims to reuse the recovered first stage in Q4 2026, but did not provide a timeline for reuse in the post-mission statement.
Landspace's achievement is a significant milestone in the development of its Zhuque-3 rocket, and demonstrates the company's capabilities in recovering and reusing orbital boosters. The success of the Zhuque-3 rocket will have significant implications for the development of China's space program and the medium-lift rocket market.
