LandSpace Scores First Booster Landing
The commercial company LandSpace safely landed the first stage booster of their Zhuque-3 rocket on August 19th. The flight is the second successful orbital mission for Zhuque-3 and the first to carry a functioning payload, an internet satellite for Hongqing Technology. Notably, the landing comes just over a month since Chinarocket Co. caught a Long March 10B booster, as China’s fleet of reusable rockets grows rapidly.
Zhuque-3 left the pad at 7:35 AM local time from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northern China. Powered by nine TQ-12A engines burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen, the first stage completed a nominal ascent and stage separation before flying back to Earth for a landing. The booster relit three engines, then stepped down to one for the final phase of its landing burn, making a picturesque touchdown on a sandswept landing pad.
The rocket’s second stage, powered by a single TQ-15A engine, completed Zhuque-3’s second orbital mission, successfully placing its first operational payload into its target orbit. The satellite is a part of Hongqing Technology’s Honghu-3 internet constellation, which is planned to include up to 10,000 spacecraft.
LandSpace first flew Zhuque-3 in December of 2025. On that mission, the rocket placed a mass simulator into orbit after a complete ascent, but the first stage booster suffered a failure during its landing burn, causing it to strike the pad at high speed.
Although it may be some time before LandSpace reflies a first stage, the company now joins the growing ranks of reusable—or at least recoverable—orbital rockets, a group pioneered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 after a first landing in 2015. SpaceX’s success inspired organizations in the United States and around the world to draw similar plans, but it took ten years before a second entity, U.S. company Blue Origin, matched this feat. In two months the number of providers landing orbital boosters has doubled, with Chinarocket Co. successfully catching their Long March 10B in July. By the end of August, the state-owned Long March 12A will make its second attempt at a safe landing, which could expand the arena yet further.
It may soon be fruitless to count the number of reusable launch systems in operation. Less than one year ago, SpaceX was the only group in the world with this unique claim to fame. It will take time for other rockets to truly demonstrate reuse, though successful recovery is a necessary milestone on this road. And over the next year, many more providers and countries will attempt—and some may succeed—to join the club.
This article was updated at 9:31 AM CT on August 19th to retract an unverified claim that the booster collapsed after landing.
