China recovers rocket stage on land for first time, after earlier recovery at sea

China has successfully landed a rocket stage on Earth for the first time, according to state media, as the nation strives to bolster its space program. This marks the first instance of such a recovery on land, although China had previously recovered a rocket stage on a sea platform in July. The reusable rocket, named Zhuque-3 and developed by private aerospace firm LandSpace, was launched on Wednesday morning and its first stage was later recovered.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that China's use of deployable landing legs and a successful recovery represents a significant milestone in the country's reusable rocket technology development. In July, China conducted a sea-based recovery of a Long March-10B stage using a net-capture system.