Zhuque-3 reaches orbit on test flight, first stage lost during landing attempt
In a significant milestone for China's space industry, Landspace's reusable Zhuque-3 rocket successfully achieved orbit during its inaugural test flight on Tuesday, but faced a setback during the first stage's landing attempt. The rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at approximately 11:02 p.m. Eastern, December 2 (0402 UTC, December 3).
This flight marked a historic moment as it was China's first attempt at recovering a stage from an orbital launch. The first stage performed a reentry, aiming to land at a pad in Minqin county, Gansu province, around 390 kilometers downrange. However, footage from Chinese social media suggests an anomaly occurred shortly after the landing burn began, causing the booster to catch fire and crash onto the pad.
Landspace's statement revealed that the debris landed on the edge of the recovery pad, resulting in a failed recovery test. The company is investigating the specific cause of the incident. Despite the setback, the mission's second stage, powered by a Tianque 15A vacuum engine, successfully achieved orbit, indicating China's progress in orbital maneuvers.
The Zhuque-3 rocket, a two-stage, stainless steel design with a 4.5-meter diameter and a liftoff mass of 570 metric tons, stands at 66 meters tall on the pad. It is powered by nine Tianque-12A methane-liquid oxygen engines in its first stage. The rocket's operational payload capacity to low Earth orbit (LEO) is impressive, ranging from 21,000 kilograms when expendable to 18,300 kg when the first stage is recovered, making it comparable to SpaceX's Falcon 9.
Landspace's Zhuque-3 is China's first large stainless steel methalox rocket, mirroring SpaceX's Starship approach. This capability is crucial for deploying multiple satellites for internet constellations in a single launch, supporting major national aerospace projects and satellite internet initiatives. The company expressed gratitude to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Jiuquan spaceport, and various local and provincial governments for their support.
The Zhuque-3 test flight was China's 77th orbital launch attempt in 2025. Landspace is also developing the reusable Long March 12A, which could make its first orbital launch and landing attempt in December. This mission's success paves the way for Landspace to launch satellite batches for China's megaconstellation projects, contributing valuable data for future recovery endeavors.
