China's LandSpace lands rocket booster; joins SpaceX and Blue Origin with reusable tech
The ability to return, recover and reuse a booster is crucial to reduce cost and make it easier to put satellites into orbit, turning space exploration into a commercially viable business similar to civil aviation.
Chinese startup LandSpace successfully recovered the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket on Wednesday, making it the third private company after SpaceX and Blue Origin to land an orbital-class booster, according to state media. The achievement brings China closer to the U.S. in reusable rocket technology and may enhance investor confidence as LandSpace seeks to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market.
The 66.1-meter (216-foot) Zhuque-3 rocket, likened to SpaceX's Falcon 9, launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwestern China. Its nine-engine first stage, or booster, returned to a landing site in Gansu province, 390 kilometers (242 miles) southeast of the launch pad. LandSpace's IPO prospectus, submitted in June, aimed for profitability by 2029 and a reusable Zhuque-3 booster up to 20 times.
The stainless-steel Zhuque-3 boasts greater heat resistance and potentially lower production costs compared to the aluminum-lithium alloy Falcon 9. It burns cleaner methane and liquid oxygen, as opposed to the Falcon 9's liquid oxygen and kerosene mix. The rocket can carry 14.2 metric tons to low Earth orbit, while the Falcon 9 lifts 22.8 tons.
Written by urgent.news from Economic Times Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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