The floodgates are open after another Chinese company lands a reusable rocket

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1. 25d ago

   LandSpace lands first commercial Chinese orbital-class booster

   Chinese startup LandSpace successfully performed a vertical land recovery of its Zhuque-3 rocket booster on August 18. This marks the first time a commercial Chinese company has landed an orbital-class booster on land. The company now aims to refly the recovered first stage within six months. This achievement places LandSpace alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin as entities possessing reusable rocket technology, specifically utilizing a steel-booster design for the recovery.

   Why it matters

   Reusable rockets significantly lower the cost of accessing space by eliminating the need to build a new booster for every launch. While the US has dominated this sector, China's successful land recovery indicates a shift toward competitive commercial space capabilities in Asia.

   What is confirmed

   • LandSpace successfully landed a reusable rocket booster on August 18.
   • The recovery involved the Zhuque-3 rocket.
   • LandSpace is the first commercial Chinese company to land an orbital-class booster.
   • The booster used for the recovery was made of steel.
   • The landing was performed on land.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The Zhuque-3 landing occurred on the rocket's second-ever flight.

   What to watch next

   • The attempted reflight of the recovered Zhuque-3 booster within six months.
   Sources used for this update (11)

   1. Space — Touchdown! Private Chinese rocket aces landing on 2nd-ever flight
   2. Reuters — China's LandSpace lands rocket booster; joins SpaceX, Blue Origin with reusable tech
   3. South China Morning Post — China’s LandSpace beats SpaceX with steel-booster recovery after orbital launch
   4. Yahoo Finance — SpaceX stock in focus after China rocket milestone, share unlock ahead
   5. Ars Technica — The floodgates are open after another Chinese company lands a reusable rocket
   6. Dallas News — China successfully recovers rocket stage on land for the first time
   7. Yahoo Finance — SpaceX stock falls after China rocket milestone, share unlock ahead
   8. The New York Times — Chinese Start-Up Lands Reusable Rocket for the First Time
   9. Xinhua — China Focus: China launches Zhuque-3, achieving its first rocket recovery on land
   10. spaceflightnow.com — LandSpace becomes first commercial Chinese company to land an orbital-class booster
   11. spacenews.com — Landspace aims to refly recovered Zhuque-3 booster within six months
   confidence 95%