{
  "id": 1840883,
  "title": "China’s Landspace recovers booster with second orbital launch of Zhuque-3 rocket",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/chinas-landspace-recovers-booster-with-second-orbital-launch-of",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-19T01:05:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SpaceNews",
    "slug": "spacenews",
    "url": "https://spacenews.com/chinas-landspace-recovers-booster-with-second-orbital-launch-of-zhuque-3-rocket/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "China's Landspace successfully launched its Zhuque-3 rocket for the second time, with the rocket lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert. According to Reuters Business via SCMP, the launch occurred at 7:35am on Wednesday. The 66-metre rocket delivered a Honghu-3 internet satellite into its designated orbit.\n\nThe first stage of the Zhuque-3 rocket was recovered, marking a major milestone for Landspace as China's first commercial rocket to both reach orbit and have its first stage recovered. This achievement also makes Landspace the fourth entity to recover a launch vehicle, following US companies SpaceX and Blue Origin, and the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.\n\nThe Zhuque-3 rocket is powered by liquid methane and oxygen. Reuters Business via SCMP and South China Morning Post reported that during its maiden flight in December, the second stage successfully reached orbit, but the first stage did not recover successfully. The first stage returned to Earth and touched down vertically at a recovery site in Minqin county, Gansu province.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}