China is set to attempt the recovery of a rocket’s first stage for the first time on Nov. 29, according to an airspace closure notice issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The launch is scheduled to take place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, with the designated landing zone for the first stage located about 390 km southeast of the launch site in Minqin County, Gansu Province.
The mission will use the Zhuque-3 rocket developed by private launch company Landspace. The vehicle is broadly comparable in design concept to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, featuring a two-stage configuration and a stainless-steel body. Zhuque-3 stands 66 meters tall, measures 4.5 meters in diameter and has a liftoff mass of about 570 tonnes when fully fueled. Its first stage is powered by nine methane and liquid oxygen engines.
Landspace said Zhuque-3 is designed to carry up to 21 tonnes to low-Earth orbit in expendable mode and up to 18.3 tonnes when operating with a reusable first stage. Ahead of the launch attempt, the company conducted a full-scale rehearsal that included full propellant loading and a fire test of the first-stage engines. The mission’s payload will be a prototype spacecraft intended to support future resupply missions to China’s Tiangong space station.
The launch highlights intensifying competition in China’s reusable rocket sector. Several private firms are pursuing recoverable launch systems, alongside state-led efforts. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is also preparing its own reusable first-stage test with the Long March 12A rocket, which is scheduled for launch in early December.
A successful recovery of Zhuque-3’s first stage would mark a significant step for China’s commercial space industry as it seeks to reduce launch costs and improve launch cadence through reusability.
