China recovers rocket stage on land for first time, after earlier recovery at sea
LandSpace said the recovery is China’s first on land and a major step toward reusable rockets that could cut launch costs, with reuse planned within six months.
- On Wednesday, China successfully launched the Zhuque-3 Y-2 rocket from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone, recovering the first stage on land in Minqin County, Gansu Province, marking a milestone for the nation's space program.
- Rocket developer LandSpace utilized deployable landing legs for the mission, representing China's first successful land recovery of a reusable launch vehicle following a July sea platform recovery.
- Engineering teams optimized the landing propulsion system by reducing engine usage and enhanced the onboard autonomous flight safety system to improve return-control strategies during the vehicle's high-speed atmospheric re-entry.
- While SpaceX and Blue Origin have recovered rockets since 2015, China's achievement positions the nation to reduce launch costs; Xinhua News Agency deemed the result "a major breakthrough in the country's reusable rocket technology."
- LandSpace confirmed the operation established a solid foundation for subsequent inspection, maintenance, and commercial applications of reusable launch vehicles, advancing the nation's long-term space ambitions.
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The video from when LandSpace recovered the first stage of the Zhuque-3 in its second attempt.The Asian giant continues to approach the reusable rocket technology developed by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.
LandSpace becomes first commercial Chinese company to land an orbital-class booster
LandSpace’s ZhuQue-3 rocket booster lands at the company’s landing pad during the second flight of the launch vehicle on Aug. 19, 2026. Image: LandSpace Chinese commercial launch company, LandSpace cemented its place in the race to rocket reusability as it landed the first stage booster of its ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) rocket on Wednesday morning local time. The rocket lifted off from Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in the northwestern par…
JIUQUAN (CHINA) (XINHUA/ITALPRESS) This morning China launched the reusable Zhuque-3 rocket, bringing to completion for the first time the ground recovery of the first stage of a rocket. The Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket took off at 7:35 ( Beijing time) from the pilot zone for commercial space innovation in Dongfeng, north-western China. The ground recovery of the first stage of the rocket was completed as planned and the flight mission was a complete succ…
Chinese Startup LandSpace Achieves First Private Vertical Rocket Landing
The Chinese startup Landspace has successfully launched the Zhuque-3 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. This mission marks the first time a private sector entity in China has executed a vertical soft landing of a rocket's first stage, which returned to Earth eight minutes after liftoff. The rocket deployed the Honghu 03 demonstration communications satellite into low Earth orbit. The first stage landed on a designated pad a…
China successfully recovers rocket stage on land for first time
Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin have been recovering rockets since 2015, helping drive down launch costs by reusing hardware that would otherwise be discarded after carrying satellites and other payloads toward space
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