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China becomes first nation to recover orbital launch rockets with 2 distinct paths
Zhuque-3 reaches orbit and has its first stage recovered, pulling off a dual-track strategy even the US has yet to execute
Published: 8:28am, 19 Aug 2026
In a global first, leading Chinese commercial rocket company LandSpace has recovered a stainless-steel booster after an orbital launch, marking a major step in the country’s efforts to develop lower-cost, reusable rockets.
made from aluminium alloys, which can be more expensive to develop due to higher design and raw material costs.
China is also the first country to succeed in orbital launch recovery down distinct technological pathways, pulling off a dual-track strategy that even the United States – which pioneered reusable rocket technology – has yet to execute.
The Zhuque-3 is China’s first commercial rocket to both reach orbit and have its first stage recovered.
LandSpace also became the fourth entity – after US companies SpaceX and Blue Origin, and state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) – to achieve controlled recovery of a reusable vehicle from an orbital launch.
Like SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Zhuque-3 uses landing legs to recover its rockets.
China becomes first to recover orbital launch rockets with 2 distinct paths
Zhuque-3 reaches orbit and has its first stage recovered, pulling off a dual-track strategy even the US has yet to execute.
www.scmp.com
