LandSpace is a Beijing-based private space
startup
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LandSpace is a
Beijing-based private space startup.
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LandSpace launched the
Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket on 19 August 2026.
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The Zhuque-3 rocket is
approximately 66 metres long.
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The mission successfully
placed the Honghu-3 commercial internet satellite into its designated orbit.
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The rocket’s first-stage
booster was successfully recovered through vertical landing.
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This marked China’s first
land-based recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster.
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Zhuque-3 is a
stainless-steel launch vehicle.
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It is powered by liquid
oxygen (LOX) and methane.
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It can carry up to 14.2
metric tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
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The rocket is designed
for up to 20 reuses.
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The rocket lifted off at
7:35 a.m. Beijing time.
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The launch took place
from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China.
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The first-stage booster
landed in Minqin County, Gansu Province.
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The landing site was
approximately 390 km from the launch site.
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The booster used landing
legs for vertical recovery.
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The 19 August 2026 event
was China’s second orbital-class booster recovery.
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China’s first orbital
booster recovery took place on 10 July 2026.
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The first recovery was
conducted by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
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A Long March 10B booster
was recovered using a sea-based net-capture system.
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Before LandSpace, SpaceX
and Blue Origin had recovered orbital-class rocket boosters.
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LandSpace became the
third entity globally, after SpaceX and Blue Origin, to recover an
orbital-class rocket booster.
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The maiden flight of
Zhuque-3 took place in December 2025.
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During its maiden flight,
the booster failed during the final descent phase.
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The Dongfeng Commercial
Space Innovation Pilot Zone is located in northwest China.
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