LandSpace has recovered the first stage of its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket on land during a launch from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China. The vehicle deployed landing legs and touched down in Minqin County, Gansu Province, while placing the Honghu-03 satellite into its planned orbit in a mission completed as intended.
The flight gave China its first successful land-based recovery of an orbital-class rocket stage and the country’s first use of deployable landing legs for such a landing. State media described the operation as a controlled recovery, while the mission outcome was reported as a full success after the booster returned from orbit.
The launch followed an earlier sea recovery in July, and the new result moves China’s commercial launch sector closer to routine booster reuse. Zhuque-3 is part of LandSpace’s push into reusable launch capability, an area that remains central to lowering launch costs and increasing flight cadence for domestic and international customers.