{"id":86462,"date":"2026-08-19T12:39:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T04:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/?p=86462"},"modified":"2026-08-19T12:49:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T04:49:33","slug":"china-achieves-first-land-based-recovery-of-an-orbital-class-rocket-booster-as-zhuque-3-returns-upright","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/china-achieves-first-land-based-recovery-of-an-orbital-class-rocket-booster-as-zhuque-3-returns-upright\/","title":{"rendered":"China Achieves First Land-Based Recovery of an Orbital-Class Rocket Booster as Zhuque-3 Returns Upright"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-86462-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright.mp4\">https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><em>Source: LandSpace Technology Corporation Ltd.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">China has successfully completed its first land-based recovery of an orbital-class launch vehicle first stage using powered vertical landing and landing legs, marking a major milestone in the country&#8217;s reusable launch vehicle development.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At 7:35 a.m. Beijing time on August 19, <strong>Zhuque-3 Y2<\/strong>, a reusable launch vehicle developed by <strong>LandSpace Technology Corporation (LandSpace)<\/strong>, lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone. Approximately six minutes later, the rocket&#8217;s first stage returned as planned and landed vertically on designated recovery grounds using deployable landing legs, while the second stage successfully delivered the <strong>Honghu-03 satellite<\/strong> into its intended orbit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The mission achieved both launch and recovery objectives simultaneously, making it the first successful land-based controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster using landing legs in China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Just over a month earlier, on July 10, the <strong>Long March 10B<\/strong> had completed China&#8217;s first controlled recovery of an orbital rocket first stage. However, that mission used a different approach: the returning booster was captured by a flexible net system on a sea-based recovery platform. Zhuque-3&#8217;s latest mission fills another crucial gap in China&#8217;s reusable launch vehicle roadmap by demonstrating a fully powered vertical landing on land.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-86471 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright-2.webp\" alt=\"China Achieves First Land-Based Recovery of an Orbital-Class Rocket Booster as Zhuque-3 Returns Upright\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright-2.webp 1080w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright-2-300x169.webp 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright-2-1024x576.webp 1024w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright-2-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-86473 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright4-1.webp\" alt=\"China Achieves First Land-Based Recovery of an Orbital-Class Rocket Booster as Zhuque-3 Returns Upright4\" width=\"1297\" height=\"972\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright4-1.webp 1297w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright4-1-300x225.webp 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright4-1-1024x767.webp 1024w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/China-Achieves-First-Land-Based-Recovery-of-an-Orbital-Class-Rocket-Booster-as-Zhuque-3-Returns-Upright4-1-768x576.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1297px) 100vw, 1297px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>From Hypersonic Return to a Stable Four-Legged Landing<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The most challenging phase of rocket recovery begins after stage separation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Once the first stage completes its ascent mission, it remains at extremely high velocity and must reverse orientation, re-enter the atmosphere, reduce speed, and continuously correct its trajectory to reach the designated landing zone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">According to the mission profile released by LandSpace, the Zhuque-3 first stage completed a sequence of return maneuvers after separation, including attitude adjustment for return flight, re-entry burn deceleration, aerodynamic glide control, landing burn deceleration, and deployment of landing legs before touching down vertically.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Supporting this recovery sequence is a launch vehicle designed from the outset for reusability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Zhuque-3 is a two-stage, single-core rocket standing 66.1 meters tall. Both stages feature a diameter of 4.5 meters, while the payload fairing measures 5.2 meters in diameter. The vehicle primarily uses stainless-steel structures and is powered entirely by liquid oxygen and methane propellants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The first stage is equipped with nine <strong>TQ-12A methane-liquid oxygen engines<\/strong>. Its propulsion system can throttle between 40% and 110% of rated thrust and is integrated with a return control system, grid fins, and landing legs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Multiple engine restarts and deep-throttle capability are particularly critical. During ascent, the engines must generate maximum thrust to lift the vehicle. During recovery, they must reignite reliably and precisely control descent velocity and attitude. Meanwhile, grid fins provide aerodynamic steering throughout atmospheric descent, continuously correcting the trajectory to guide the booster toward its landing target.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">LandSpace had previously validated key technologies such as in-flight engine relight and coordinated control between grid fins and attitude-control systems during a series of vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) test campaigns.<\/p>\n<h2>Improvements Following the First Orbital Attempt<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The Zhuque-3 Y2 mission was not simply a repeat of its predecessor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">According to the development team, multiple recovery systems were optimized based on flight data collected from previous tests. The landing propulsion architecture was simplified by reducing the number of engines used during the final landing burn, lowering overall system complexity. The onboard autonomous flight termination system gained a predictive impact-point safety function, while return-flight control strategies were refined.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Additional upgrades were also implemented to improve thermal and structural protection during the demanding re-entry phase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">These changes reflect more than two years of progressive recovery testing by LandSpace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In January 2024, the company&#8217;s <strong>Zhuque-3 VTVL-1<\/strong> test vehicle completed a low-altitude vertical takeoff and landing demonstration. In September 2024, the test campaign advanced to a 10-kilometer flight. During that mission, the vehicle executed a complete sequence including ascent, engine shutdown, unpowered coast, in-flight relight, and soft landing. After reaching approximately 10 kilometers in altitude, it returned and landed only 1.7 meters from the center of the designated landing zone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The first full-scale orbital verification attempt took place in December 2025. During the maiden orbital mission of Zhuque-3 Y1, the second stage successfully reached its planned orbit, and the first stage completed most of the return sequence. However, an anomaly occurred during the final landing burn, preventing a successful soft landing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Although the booster had returned close to the landing area, the mission fell short at the final stage of recovery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">With the successful landing of Y2, Zhuque-3 has now completed the entire reusable launch sequence\u2014from orbital launch and stage separation to booster return, deceleration, and landing.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Does a Rocket Need to Return Upright?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The concept of vertically launching and vertically landing rockets is not new.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In the 1990s, the United States conducted multiple vertical takeoff and landing demonstrations using the experimental <strong>DC-X<\/strong> vehicle. Although DC-X never reached orbit, it helped validate engineering concepts for reusable launch systems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">On November 23, 2015, <strong>Blue Origin&#8217;s New Shepard<\/strong> suborbital vehicle flew beyond 100 kilometers in altitude before reigniting its BE-3 engine and landing vertically. Two months later, the same booster flew and landed again. However, New Shepard is a suborbital system and does not place payloads into Earth orbit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">A month after New Shepard&#8217;s breakthrough, <strong>SpaceX&#8217;s Falcon 9<\/strong> launched 11 communications satellites into orbit and then successfully landed its first stage at Landing Zone 1 in Florida on December 21, 2015. The mission marked the first complete demonstration of orbital launch, booster return, and powered landing by an orbital-class rocket.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In March 2017, SpaceX flew a previously recovered Falcon 9 first stage for the first time, demonstrating not only recovery but true reusability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">That distinction remains critical today. Recovering a rocket is only the first step. The real economic advantage comes from being able to refurbish and fly the same hardware repeatedly at low cost and high reliability.<\/p>\n<h2>Two Different Recovery Paths Emerging in China<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">China now has two distinct approaches to reusable booster recovery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The <strong>Long March 10B<\/strong>, recovered in July, did not land on deployable legs. Instead, the booster was captured by a flexible net system mounted on a sea-based platform. A dedicated capture mechanism at the base of the stage worked together with the net system to absorb the remaining kinetic energy during recovery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Zhuque-3, by contrast, follows a recovery architecture much closer to Falcon 9. The rocket performs its own final deceleration, attitude adjustment, and touchdown using onboard propulsion and landing legs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Each approach involves different engineering trade-offs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Net-based recovery eliminates the need for landing legs and some associated structural hardware, shifting part of the landing burden to specialized recovery infrastructure. Landing-leg recovery places greater demands on engine restart capability, thrust modulation, and terminal guidance precision, but leaves the booster standing upright immediately after landing. The concept has also been proven through years of commercial operations by Falcon 9.<\/p>\n<h2>The Next Challenge: Rapid Reuse<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">For Zhuque-3, today&#8217;s success represents the beginning of a new phase rather than the end of development.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">According to project officials cited by Xinhua News Agency, liquid oxygen and methane propellants typically account for only 1% to 3% of the cost of a launch, while the first stage represents roughly 70% of the rocket&#8217;s total manufacturing cost.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As a result, the true economics of reusability depend on factors such as how many times a booster can be flown, how much inspection and maintenance it requires between flights, and whether reliability can be maintained throughout repeated operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">LandSpace has previously stated that the Zhuque-3 first stage is designed for at least 20 reuses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The company plans to move forward with inspection, refurbishment, and reflight activities for the recovered booster, ultimately establishing a complete operational cycle covering launch, recovery, inspection, and reuse.<\/p>\n<h2>A Long-Awaited Milestone for China&#8217;s Commercial Space Industry<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">From the unsuccessful orbital recovery attempt in December 2025 to today&#8217;s fully successful booster landing, Zhuque-3 has crossed a milestone that China&#8217;s commercial space sector has been pursuing for years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">More importantly, with both Long March 10B and Zhuque-3 successfully demonstrating two different first-stage recovery architectures, China&#8217;s reusable launch vehicle efforts are moving beyond technology demonstrations and toward practical engineering reuse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">For the first time, an orbital-class rocket booster in China has returned and remained standing on its own legs.<\/p>\n<p>The next time this booster appears, it may be preparing to fly to space once again.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Sources:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><em>https:\/\/www.cnsa.gov.cn\/n6758823\/n6758838\/c10768762\/content.html<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>https:\/\/www.news.cn\/politics\/20260819\/1a901f63eb2c43fd9793eaf6849bce47\/c.html<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>https:\/\/www.landspace.com\/news-detail.html?itemid=57\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: LandSpace Technology Corporation Ltd. China has successfully completed its first land-based recovery of an orbital-class launch vehicle first stage using powered vertical landing and landing legs, marking a major milestone in the country&#8217;s reusable launch vehicle development. At 7:35 a.m. Beijing time on August 19, Zhuque-3 Y2, a reusable launch vehicle developed by LandSpace [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":86472,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[135,10120,237,25,136,7297],"class_list":["post-86462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-china","tag-land-based-recovery","tag-landspace","tag-launch","tag-rocket","tag-zhuque-3"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86462"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86462"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86476,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86462\/revisions\/86476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}