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Touchdown! Private Chinese rocket aces landing on 2nd-ever flight
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LandSpace, a Beijing-based startup, achieved a historic milestone on Aug. 18 when it successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket during the vehicle's second-ever orbital flight. This marked the first time a Chinese private company recovered an orbital-class booster, and the first successful landing on land by any Chinese rocket. The touchdown occurred at the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China at 7:35 p.m. EDT, shortly after the upper stage delivered a satellite into orbit.
The landing was only the second Chinese orbital booster recovery overall. On July 10, the state-owned CASC brought back a Long March 10B first stage, but that booster settled into a net attached to a ship at sea. Zhuque-3 instead touched down on solid ground using landing legs, reminiscent of SpaceX's Falcon 9, and remained upright. This distinction was highlighted by LandSpace, which called the mission China's first successful booster recovery on land.
LandSpace confirmed the success via X, stating that the mission validated the design, reliability, and engineering maturity of the Zhuque-3 reusable launch system. The company also emphasized that the flight was pivotal as the rocket transitions from technological demonstration toward the engineering application phase of reusability. The upper stage carried a satellite named Honghu 03, developed by Hongqing Technology, into its designated orbit.
Zhuque-3 shares many characteristics with the Falcon 9. The rocket stands 66 meters tall and can lift 18,300 kilograms to low Earth orbit, compared with the Falcon 9's 70-meter height and 22,800-kilogram capacity. Unlike the Falcon 9's kerosene fuel, Zhuque-3 uses liquid oxygen and liquid methane, a methalox mixture also employed by SpaceX's Starship. These similarities suggest LandSpace is closely following the proven reusable-rocket model.
Today's flight was a significant rebound from the rocket's debut on Dec. 2, 2025. During that first launch, the upper stage reached orbit, but the booster suffered an abnormal combustion near the ground and exploded beside the landing pad. The successful recovery on the second attempt demonstrates rapid technological progress for the young program.
Reusability is a strategic priority for China's space sector. CASC's Long March 12A and 12B will feature reusable first stages, though the 12A's first attempt in December 2025 ended with a failed booster landing. Private companies, including LandSpace, are also racing to develop reusable vehicles. With Zhuque-3's achievement, LandSpace now leads this domestic push, setting the stage for more cost-effective access to orbit.
