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China’s self-developed Zhuque-3 reusable rocket has achieved a major technological breakthrough during its maiden flight, according to the mission’s commander-in-chief. The launch marked China’s first-ever attempt to recover the first stage of an orbital-class launch vehicle, a critical step toward reducing launch costs and boosting commercial space capabilities. The rocket successfully lifted off from northwest China, completed stage separation, and achieved its primary goal of reaching the designated orbit with a dummy payload. During recovery, the first-stage booster carried out complex high-altitude ignition, supersonic descent, and aerodynamic control using grid fins. While the final landing ignition failed, causing the booster to crash near the landing zone, engineers said the test provided invaluable data and showed the rocket is close to achieving full reusability. Developed by private aerospace firm LandSpace, Zhuque-3 is designed as a large-capacity, low-cost reusable liquid rocket aimed at deploying large satellite constellations. Chinese engineers stressed that orbital insertion success is the key requirement for customers, while reusability remains a strategic advantage for future cost reduction. The mission underscores China’s accelerating push in commercial spaceflight and reusable rocket technology.
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