LandSpace’s ZhuQue-3 rocket booster lands at the company’s landing pad during the second flight of the launch vehicle on Aug. 19, 2026. Image: LandSpace
Chinese commercial launch company, LandSpace cemented its place in the race to rocket reusability as it landed the first stage booster of its ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) rocket on Wednesday morning local time.
The rocket lifted off from Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in the northwestern part of the country at 7:35 a.m. CST on Aug. 19 (7:35 p.m. EDT / 2335 UTC on Aug. 18) to begin the second flight in this rocket’s development.
Following stage separation more than two minutes after liftoff, the booster began to target its designated landing zone in Minqin County, Gansu Province. It stuck the landing nearly eight minutes after liftoff. However, video clips shared on social media showed a post-landing fire breaking out in the aft section of the vehicle.
“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 wrote after the mission. “It is a pivotal flight test for ZhuQue-3 as it transitions from the technological demonstration and verification phase toward the engineering application phase of reusability.”
