China’s LandSpace stuck the landing on 19 August, setting its Zhuque-3 booster down upright 390 kilometres from the launchpad—only for it to topple later after a post-landing fire apparently weakened
China's LandSpace successfully landed its Zhuque-3 orbital booster upright in the Gobi Desert, but the rocket toppled shortly after due to a post-landing fire. While the flight was a success, the incident highlights the ongoing challenges in achieving full reusability for commercial space launch vehicles.
Why it matters
Advancements in reusable rocket technology are essential for lowering the cost of space access, and this event marks a significant milestone for China's private space sector.
Zhuque-3 achieved a controlled orbital-booster touchdown, then toppled during the post-landing phase that separates recovery from true reuse.
By The Daily Orbit · Edited by Lachlan Brown
For several hours on 19 August, LandSpace appeared to have achieved exactly the image China’s commercial launch industry had been chasing: a 66-metre stainless-steel orbital booster standing upright on four legs in the Gobi Desert.
The flight itself had gone remarkably well. Zhuque-3 Y2 lifted off at 7:35 am Beijing time from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation zone adjoining Jiuquan, placed the Honghu-03 satellite into orbit and sent its first stage toward a prepared landing pad in Minqin County, Gansu Province.
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