US EditionA Little-Known Chinese Company Nearly Landed a Rocket From Space on Its First Try
Zhuque-3 placed its upper stage into orbit successfully but failed to recover the first-stage booster due to an anomalous combustion during landing, marking China's first orbital stage recovery attempt.
- On Dec. 3, 2025, LandSpace launched Zhuque-3 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, reaching orbit but failing to recover the first-stage booster after its landing burn.
- Tuesday, the flight was China’s first orbital-stage recovery attempt, aiming to validate recovery systems like engine throttling and attitude control for the reusable LOX/methane vehicle with a 20 reuses plan.
- Reentry targeted a pad about 390 kilometers downrange in Minqin county, Gansu province, for the two-stage, 66m tall Zhuque-3 with a 4.5 diameter and about 570 metric tons liftoff mass.
- Landspace wrote `An anomaly occurred as the first stage approached the designated recovery zone. No personnel safety issues occurred`, and said in a statement that debris landed on the edge of the recovery pad while an investigation is underway.
- Amid comparisons to SpaceX, analysts observed Zhuque-3’s stainless-steel methalox, reusable-first-stage design echoes Falcon 9 and Starship, while U.S. officials warn reuse could lower costs and accelerate satellite deployments.
25 Articles
25 Articles
By Simone McCarthy, Mike Valerio, Fred He and Juan Liu, CNN A Chinese private space company successfully sent its Zhuque-3 rocket into orbit, but failed in its historic attempt to reland the propellant vehicle on Wednesday. This was the first such attempt by a Chinese company as the country's growing commercial space sector rushes to reach American rivals such as SpaceX. Beijing-based LandSpace, one of the industry's leading companies, sent its …
Chinese reusable rocket booster crashes during first historic orbital test
A private Chinese space firm successfully sent its Zhuque-3 rocket to orbit but failed in its historic attempt to re-land the rocket booster – the first such trial by a Chinese firm as the country’s growing commercial space sector races to catch up with American rivals like SpaceX.
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