Private Chinese firm lands Zhuque-3 reusable rocket on its legs for first time
China successfully achieved its first-ever land-based recovery of a commercial first-stage booster after it launched the Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket into orbit on Wednesday morning, Aug. 19, 2026. Landing a rocket upright on its legs is incredibly difficult, a move previously mastered by only a few groups like Elon Musk's SpaceX.
This mission followed the successful sea-based net recovery of the Long March-10B's first stage on July 10.
Rivaling SpaceX's Falcon 9, the Zhuque-3, developed by Chinese commercial aerospace company LandSpace, leverages advanced materials and cleaner fuels. Unlike conventional single-use rockets, LandSpace can reuse this booster for no less than 20 times, making space travel much cheaper.
Industry experts believe it will help accelerate the deployment of China's low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations.
The Honghu 03 satellite that was launched into its designated orbit by Zhuque-3 will trial its unfoldable thermal radiator, sizeable solar panels, electric propulsion system, and a 100-gigabit optical laser link ahead of mass production for Internet connectivity constellations.
This Landspace mission was the second for the partially reusable Zhuque-3, and LandSpace’s 10th orbital launch attempt in the company’s history. This was also the 59th launch from China in 2026.
Duration: 1 minute, 48 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 20, 2026
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