Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Ars TechnicaStephen Clark

LandSpace Recovers Zhuque-3 Booster, Advancing China’s Reusable Orbital Launch Capability

Chinese commercial launch company LandSpace successfully recovered the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket after placing the Honghu-03 satellite into orbit. The milestone advances China’s reusable launch effort toward a Falcon 9-style model, with implications for commercial space access and U.S. national-security launch advantages.

2026-08-19T11:49:53.544687-07:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation

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NASA Spaceflight

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Stoke Space advances Nova toward potential 2026 debut with vehicle mating and engine completion

Stoke Space has completed first-stage engines and conducted second-stage fit checks for Nova, its fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. The milestones, including vehicle mating, mark further progress toward the startup’s potential 2026 maiden launch as attention remains focused on SpaceX’s Starship program.

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Ars Technica

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LandSpace Recovers Zhuque-3 Booster, Advancing China’s Reusable Orbital Launch Capability

Chinese commercial launch company LandSpace successfully recovered the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket after placing the Honghu-03 satellite into orbit. The milestone advances China’s reusable launch effort toward a Falcon 9-style model, with implications for commercial space access and U.S. national-security launch advantages.

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Space.com

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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.

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Associated Press

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NASA releases sharpest images yet of crater formed by SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage on the Moon

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured the clearest views so far of a new lunar crater created when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon at roughly 8,700 km/h after drifting in space for 19 months. The images document the unexpected impact and its comparatively small crater.

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