LandSpace Achieves First Private Reusable Rocket Landing in China

Chinese startup LandSpace successfully recovered the first stage of its Zhuque3 rocket on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, marking a significant milestone for the nation's private space industry. The achievement makes LandSpace the first private Chinese company to land an orbital-class booster, joining SpaceX and Blue Origin as the only three private firms worldwide to accomplish this feat. The successful landing narrows China's technological gap with the United States in the critical area of reusable rocketry.

The 66.1-meter stainless-steel rocket lifted off at 7:35 a.m. local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert. According to state media reports, the nine-engine first stage successfully returned to a designated landing site in Minqin county, Gansu province, approximately 390 kilometers southeast of the launch pad. The mission also delivered a Honghu-3 internet satellite into its planned orbit. This was LandSpace's second attempt to land the engine-packed booster; a previous test in December 2025 resulted in the first stage breaking apart during reentry due to a combustion anomaly.

The Zhuque3 is frequently described as China's answer to SpaceX's Falcon...