The Zhuque-3 reusable rocket successfully lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone today, with its first stage completing a planned landing at the designated landing site in Gansu Province.
The achievement makes Zhuque-3 the first Chinese launch vehicle to successfully reach orbit and subsequently recover its first stage on land.
Developed independently by LandSpace, Zhuque-3 is a new-generation reusable liquid oxygen-methane rocket. Its propulsion system can throttle between 40% and 110% of maximum thrust, enabling the rocket to perform a vertical landing and be reused after completing an orbital mission. The rocket is designed for at least 20 flights.
Zhang Changwu, founder and CEO of LandSpace, said the company aims to bring launch costs down to below 20,000 yuan ($2,800) per kilogram.
The milestone marks a new stage for China’s commercial space industry, as the country becomes the only one in the world to have mastered both net-based and landing-leg recovery technologies.
