The rocket's first-stage land recovery is completed as planned, marking the success of the flight mission, at the Zhuque-3 landing site in Minqin County, Gansu Province, northwest China, August 19, 2026.
China's Zhuque-3 Y-2 rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China on Wednesday morning, successfully placing the Honghu-03 satellite into its designated orbit.
The land recovery sequence of the first stage was completed as intended, according to rocket developer LandSpace, and the flight and recovery test mission was a complete success.
Following the separation of the first and second stages, the first stage entered its scheduled return phase and completed a series of key manoeuvres, including high-altitude return attitude adjustment, powered deceleration during re-entry, aerodynamic glide control, powered deceleration for landing, and deployment and cushioning of its landing legs.
The first stage ultimately landed steadily at the designated landing site using its landing legs, completing a systematic verification of the entire process of returning the vehicle from high-speed flight to a land-based landing site in Minqin County, northwest China's Gansu Province.
