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  • Category: Tech

On August 19, 2026, China successfully launched the Zhuque-3 Y2 reusable carrier rocket from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone, marking the country's first-ever land-based recovery of a rocket's first stage .

The Mission

The Zhuque-3 Y2 lifted off at 7:35 a.m. Beijing Time. After stage separation, the first stage followed its predetermined flight path through high-altitude attitude adjustment, re-entry ignition deceleration, aerodynamic gliding control, and landing ignition deceleration. It deployed its landing legs and touched down precisely at the Zhuque-3 landing site in Minqin County, Gansu Province . Meanwhile, the second stage successfully delivered its payload, the Honghu-03 satellite, into its designated orbit .

Technical Significance

This mission represents China's first successful controlled land recovery of a rocket's first stage using deployable landing legs . It follows the sea-based net recovery of the Long March-10B's first stage on July 10, 2026, meaning China has now validated two different recovery technologies .

The Zhuque-3 rocket, developed by private company LandSpace, is a new-generation reusable liquid oxygen-methane rocket. Key specifications include :

  • Length: 66.1 meters
  • Diameter: 4.5 meters (first and second stages)
  • Liftoff mass: approximately 570 tons
  • Liftoff thrust: over 750 tons
  • First-stage equipped with nine TQ-12A liquid oxygen-methane engines
  • Stainless steel main structure for heat resistance and lower manufacturing costs

Overcoming Challenges

This success came after a previous attempt in December 2025, when Zhuque-3's first flight successfully reached orbit but failed to achieve a soft landing during the final descent phase . For the Y2 mission, the team optimized the landing propulsion scheme by reducing the number of ignition engines to simplify system design and improve reliability. They also upgraded the autonomous safety control system with predictive landing point capabilities .

Cost and Future Impact

Rocket propellant accounts for only about 1% to 3% of total launch costs, while the first stage represents approximately 70% of the rocket's total cost. Each reusable first stage is designed for at least 20 reuses, which will significantly reduce launch costs . LandSpace plans to quickly implement reuse missions for the recovered stage, building a closed-loop system of "launch-recovery-inspection-reuse" for future high-frequency, low-cost commercial operations .

A Milestone for China's Space Industry

With this achievement, the Zhuque-3 becomes China's first launch vehicle to successfully reach orbit and achieve land-based recovery . LandSpace has become the first Chinese private company to master reusable rocket technology, establishing China alongside a very select group of nations and entities capable of vertical rocket recovery .