China Aerospace Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation Commercial Space Industry (New Space)

LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 Completes Second Orbital Flight With First-Stage Landing

Chinese startup LandSpace successfully soft-landed the first stage of its methalox-fueled Zhuque-3 rocket after its second orbital launch from Jiuquan on August 18. The achievement places LandSpace among the few private companies to recover an orbital-class booster and advances China’s reusable-launch ambitions.

Discovered 2026-08-18T18:33:08.518584-07:00 | 2026-08-18T18:33:08.518584-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Booster recovery is a key milestone in developing reusable orbital launch systems, with the potential to reduce launch costs and improve access to orbit.
LandSpace’s achievement puts it alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin among private companies that have landed orbital-class boosters, narrowing China’s gap with established U.S. reusable-launch providers.
The flight demonstrates meaningful progress in China’s commercial space sector and provides an important benchmark for the country’s emerging launch competitors.

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