China has taken a major step forward in its push to build a reusable commercial space industry after startup LandSpace successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket on Wednesday (Aug 18). The achievement puts LandSpace in a small group of private companies to have successfully recovered an orbital-class rocket booster, alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin. For China, the milestone marks progress in an area where the United States has built a significant lead.Why this matters: The ability to recover and fly boosters again is seen as crucial to lowering launch costs and making frequent satellite launches commercially viable.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/want-to-survive-the-apocalypse-this-swiss-firm-is-making-end-of-the-world-bunkers-for-billionaires-1787038088615">Want to survive the apocalypse? This Swiss firm is making end-of-the world bunkers for billionaires</a><h2>Second attempt ends in successful landing</h2>The 66.1-metre Zhuque-3 lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwestern China.Its nine-engine first stage separated after the launch and travelled back to a landing site in Gansu province, around 390 kilometres southeast of the launch pad, according to Chinese state media.The successful landing came on LandSpace's second attempt. The company's first reusable rocket attempt in December 2025 reached orbit but failed to complete the controlled landing.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">China launched the reusable rocket Zhuque-3 on Wednesday morning, achieving its first recovery of a rocket&#39;s first stage on land. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/Zhuque?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Zhuque</a>-3 <a href="https://t.co/Sut9LgOoYs">pic.twitter.com/Sut9LgOoYs</a>&mdash; China Xinhua News (@XHNews) <a href="https://x.com/XHNews/status/2089871742068310332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MISSION SUCCESS | ZhuQue-3 Y2 Reusable Launch Vehicle Achieved Full Success in Orbital Insertion and First-Stage Recovery On August 19, 2026, at 07:35 (UTC+8), the ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) Y2 reusable launch vehicle lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone.… <a href="https://t.co/fshijOxgtc">pic.twitter.com/fshijOxgtc</a>&mdash; LandSpace (@LandSpace_Tech) <a href="https://x.com/LandSpace_Tech/status/2089877715331809546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>China's answer to Falcon 9</h2>LandSpace has positioned Zhuque-3 as a Chinese competitor to Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9. The rocket uses a stainless-steel structure, which the company says can withstand higher temperatures and could reduce manufacturing costs compared with the aluminium-lithium alloy used in Falcon 9.It is powered by methane and liquid oxygen, a combination LandSpace says burns more cleanly than Falcon 9's liquid oxygen and kerosene system.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/baba-vanga-s-2026-prophecy-2-predictions-already-came-true-3-terrifying-ones-remain-first-human-alien-contact-world-war-3-and-putin-s-exit-1786169922573">Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside</a>For a one-time launch, Zhuque-3 can carry up to 14.2 tonnes into low Earth orbit, compared with 22.8 tonnes for Falcon 9, according to LandSpace. The company wants the Zhuque-3 booster to eventually be reused as many as 20 times.<h2>LandSpace eyes rapid reuse</h2>The next challenge is to prove that recovering a rocket can become a repeatable commercial operation. LandSpace says it plans to fly a recovered first-stage booster again within six months. That would be an important test of whether China can move beyond individual demonstration flights towards high-frequency launches.SpaceX has already made booster reuse routine, launching Falcon 9 rockets roughly three times a week and flying recovered boosters repeatedly.LandSpace is also seeking to raise 7.5 billion yuan, or about $1.11 billion, through a planned listing on Shanghai's STAR Market. Its updated prospectus says the company is targeting profitability by 2029.<h2>China steps closer to the reusable launch market</h2>Wednesday's landing was China's fourth attempt at recovering an orbital-class booster. The country has also been testing different recovery approaches. In July, China successfully demonstrated a net-based system for catching an experimental booster on a floating platform. &nbsp;&nbsp;

China's private space race has taken a major leap. LandSpace has successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket, moving the country closer to routine reusable launches and putting a new challenger into the race with SpaceX.

China has taken a major step forward in its push to build a reusable commercial space industry after startup LandSpace successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket on Wednesday (Aug 18). The achievement puts LandSpace in a small group of private companies to have successfully recovered an orbital-class rocket booster, alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin. For China, the milestone marks progress in an area where the United States has built a significant lead. Why this matters: The ability to recover and fly boosters again is seen as crucial to lowering launch costs and making frequent satellite launches commercially viable. Also read | Want to survive the apocalypse? This Swiss firm is making end-of-the world bunkers for billionaires Second attempt ends in successful landing The 66.1-metre Zhuque-3 lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwestern China. Its nine-engine first stage separated after the launch and travelled back to a landing site in Gansu province, around 390 kilometres southeast of the launch pad, according to Chinese state media. The successful landing came on LandSpace's second attempt. The company's first reusable rocket attempt in December 2025 reached orbit but failed to complete the controlled landing.

China's private space race has taken a major leap. LandSpace has successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket, moving the country closer to routine reusable launches and putting a new challenger into the race with SpaceX.

China lands reusable rocket booster, closes gap with SpaceX and Blue Origin

China on Friday (July 10) became the second country after the United States to successfully demonstrate a reusable orbital-class rocket after completing the first controlled recovery of a reusable booster during the maiden launch of its Long March 10B carrier rocket. The achievement marks a major milestone in the country's efforts to develop reusable space technology.&nbsp;The feat comes more than a decade after US company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, became the first to recover an orbital-class rocket booster in December 2015.&nbsp;Beijing celebrated the milestone, calling it "A historic day for China's space program!""A historic day in China’s space program!&nbsp;"China’s Long March-10B has successfully completed its maiden flight—and recovered its first stage via a sea-based net. This marks the country’s first-ever controlled rocket recovery. A major leap toward reusable launch capabilities," Mao Ning, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, wrote on X.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">A historic day in China’s space program! China’s Long March-10B has successfully completed its maiden flight—and recovered its first stage via a sea-based net. This marks the country’s first-ever controlled rocket recovery. A major leap toward reusable launch capabilities.… <a href="https://t.co/FWuQXLltaD">pic.twitter.com/FWuQXLltaD</a>&mdash; Mao Ning 毛宁 (@SpoxCHN_MaoNing) <a href="https://x.com/SpoxCHN_MaoNing/status/2075495374618538318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9, which lands autonomously on drone ships or landing pads using deployable legs, China's Long March 10B uses landing hooks to catch a net suspended on a sea platform.&nbsp;SpaceX completed its first successful Falcon 9 booster landing after an orbital mission in December 2015, while Blue Origin's New Glenn achieved its first successful landing in November 2025.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/qatari-negotiators-in-iran-to-de-escalate-tensions-after-fresh-us-iran-escalation-1783688985601">Qatari negotiators in Iran to de-escalate tensions after fresh US-Iran escalation</a>&nbsp;China has spent nearly a decade working on reusable rocket technology through a series of low-altitude hover tests and orbital booster recovery experiments. A successful reusable launch system is expected to reduce launch costs while supporting the country's rapidly expanding commercial satellite network.&nbsp;Last December, two other Chinese reusable rockets attempted SpaceX-style vertical landings using grid fins and landing legs. However, both missions failed, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

China became the second country to successfully recover a reusable orbital-class rocket booster after completing the maiden controlled recovery of its Long March 10B rocket

China on Friday (July 10) became the second country after the United States to successfully demonstrate a reusable orbital-class rocket after completing the first controlled recovery of a reusable booster during the maiden launch of its Long March 10B carrier rocket. The achievement marks a major milestone in the country's efforts to develop reusable space technology. The feat comes more than a decade after US company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, became the first to recover an orbital-class rocket booster in December 2015. Beijing celebrated the milestone, calling it "A historic day for China's space program!" "A historic day in China’s space program! "China’s Long March-10B has successfully completed its maiden flight—and recovered its first stage via a sea-based net. This marks the country’s first-ever controlled rocket recovery. A major leap toward reusable launch capabilities," Mao Ning, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, wrote on X.

China became the second country to successfully recover a reusable orbital-class rocket booster after completing the maiden controlled recovery of its Long March 10B rocket

Watch | China does a SpaceX: Achieves first-ever controlled recovery of reusable rocket

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China lands reusable rocket booster, closes gap with SpaceX and Blue Origin

WATCH: China achieves first-ever reusable rocket recovery in SpaceX-style feat