00:00China launched its first reusable rocket, but something went terribly wrong mid-air.
00:05Meet the Zhukui-3, China's bold leap into reusable rocket tech,
00:09launched by private firm Landspace from the Zhukuan Satellite Center.
00:13This 66-meter giant roared into orbit, marking a historic moment for China.
00:18But the celebration didn't last long.
00:20The rocket's first-stage booster was supposed to return safely.
00:23Instead, it caught fire mid-air and crashed near the recovery zone.
00:26A major blow to China's goal of catching up to the U.S. in reusable launches.
00:32SpaceX pulled it off in 2015.
00:34Blue Origin did it, too.
00:36And now, while China's tech shows promise,
00:39the U.S. still stands alone in mastering full rocket recovery.
00:42But Zhukui-3 isn't a total failure.
00:45It proved launch systems work and carried 18 tons to orbit.
00:48For China's future mega-satellite plans, that's a big deal.
00:52One fireball won't stop China's space dreams.
00:54But for now, SpaceX still holds the crown.
00:58Will Zhukui-3 rise again?
00:59We'll be watching.
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