Zhuque-3 Rocket Sticks Landing on Second Flight

A Chinese Zhuque-3 rocket launched for the second time on Monday, with its first stage landing on a concrete pad in the Gobi Desert. The rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

LandSpace has become the fourth company after SpaceX, Blue Origin and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) to recover a first stage. Chinese officials have said the launch was a complete success.

Zhuque-3 is a two-stage rocket that is 65.9 meters tall. It is powered liquid oxygen and liquid methane. Zhuque-3 can place 11,800 kg into low Earth orbit (LEO) in its expendable form or 8,000 kg into LEO when the first stage is recovered.

Zhuque-3 made a successful inaugural flight on Dec. 3, 2025. The rocket reached orbit, but the first stage crashed into the desert during its descent.

This is the first recovery of a Chinese stage on land. CASC used an offshore platform to recover the first stage of a Long March 10B rocket on July 10.