Beijing startup LandSpace successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket on August 18, 2026, marking China’s first land-based orbital booster recovery using landing legs and a historic milestone for the nation’s private spaceflight sector.
The aerospace sector in China reached a pivotal turning point when LandSpace executed a successful launch and recovery sequence from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China. Liftoff occurred at 7:35 p.m. EDT (2335 GMT; 7:35 a.m. on August 19 Beijing time), carrying a satellite called Honghu 03 into orbit for Hongqing Technology. Unlike previous state-run sea-based recoveries that relied on catching nets, this mission utilized deployable landing legs to bring the booster safely down to terra firma upright.
Engineering Maturity and the Transition to Reusability
The successful landing of the 216-foot-tall (66 meters) vehicle signals that the company has moved past early technological hurdles. This mission marks China’s first-ever successful recovery attempt of the first stage of an orbital-class launch vehicle using landing legs, and China’s first successful booster recovery on land,
LandSpace announced via X following the flight.
Engineers designed the Zhuque-3 to haul roughly 40,350 pounds (18,300 kilograms) to low Earth orbit using a methalox propellant mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid methane. That fuel choice mirrors the propellant used by SpaceX in its Starship megarocket, setting it apart from traditional kerosene-burning vehicles. According to the company’s public statements, the flight verified the design correctness and reliability of the reusable launcher system and validated its first-stage recovery capabilities.
From Explosive Failure to Triumphant Return
During that initial flight, the Zhuque-3 successfully reached orbit, but its first stage encountered severe trouble during the return descent. The booster suffered an abnormal combustion event near the ground, ending in a violent explosion close to the designated landing pad.
State broadcaster CCTV later released up-close footage captured by cameras mounted on the booster itself. Those recordings revealed the rapid approach of the ground through hypersonic grid fins, devices that bear a striking resemblance to the attitude-control infrastructure popularized by SpaceX. The archived footage showed the rocket already engulfed in flames before impact, providing engineering teams with critical diagnostic data that directly informed the adjustments made for the second flight.
Comparing Chinese Orbital Recovery Milestones
China’s push toward rocket reusability has accelerated rapidly across both state-owned and private institutions. The Zhuque-3 touchdown represents only the second orbital rocket booster recovery in Chinese history, following a July 10, 2026, demonstration by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation using a Long March 10B.
| Rocket | Operator | Date | Recovery Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long March 10B | CASC (State) | July 10, 2026 | Net-like apparatus on a ship at sea |
| Zhuque-3 (Flight 1) | LandSpace (Private) | December 3, 2025 | Failed / Exploded near pad |
| Zhuque-3 (Flight 2) | LandSpace (Private) | August 18, 2026 | Landing legs on terra firma |
While the state-backed Long March 10B nested softly into a ship-based net apparatus, LandSpace achieved its milestone on solid ground using extendable landing legs. Beyond LandSpace and CASC, a crowded field of private Chinese enterprises including CAS Space, Deep Blue Aerospace, Galactic Energy, iSpace, Orienspace, and Space Pioneer are actively developing reusable vehicles.
The Broader Push for Cost-Efficient Launch Architecture
The pursuit of reusability stems from the economic dominance of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which flew 165 times in 2025 alone—roughly matching the activity of all other global orbital launchers combined.
By successfully recovering its first-stage booster on land, LandSpace has transitioned its flagship vehicle from the technological demonstration and verification phase toward the engineering application phase.
