Chinese private space startup LandSpace has achieved a major breakthrough in reusable rocket technology. On Wednesday, the first stage of one of the country’s commercial rockets was successfully returned to the ground for the first time. Chinese state media described the event as a significant milestone for the country’s space sector.
LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 rocket launched at 7:35 a.m. local time Wednesday from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China. After launch, the rocket’s first stage returned to its designated landing zone and successfully touched down, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Video released by state broadcaster CCTV showed the rocket’s first stage descending slowly toward its designated landing site in the desert. Just before landing, its folded legs deployed, and the rocket touched down in a controlled manner.
Meanwhile, the rocket’s second stage successfully placed the Honghu-03 satellite into its designated orbit. Xinhua described the entire mission as a “complete success.”
A first outside the United States
According to space experts, LandSpace is the first company outside the United States to successfully recover the booster of an orbital-class launch rocket to the ground using its own landing legs.
Professor Richard de Grijs, an astrophysicist at Australia’s Macquarie University, described the event as a major achievement for China’s commercial space sector.
In his view, China has demonstrated two separate rocket-recovery technologies, through its state and private sectors, within the span of just a month. Earlier, in July, the first stage of the state-built Long March 10B rocket was recovered from a sea-based platform.
According to de Grijs, competition between China’s state and private space sectors, along with experimentation with various technologies, could help the country achieve the capability for more frequent, lower-cost rocket launches in the future. Such technology could play an important role, particularly in deploying large-scale satellite constellations, or mega-constellations.
China’s investment in reusable rockets is growing
To realize President Xi Jinping’s “space dream,” China has invested heavily in its space program in recent years. Alongside this, efforts are under way to advance the commercial space sector technologically as well.
According to Xinhua, the Zhuque-3 rocket has been approved by China’s National Space Administration. It was built with the goal of offering greater capability at a relatively lower cost and enabling more frequent satellite launches.
Successfully recovering and reusing a rocket’s first stage can lower launch costs. At the same time, it could give China’s commercial space sector the opportunity to expand more rapidly in the future.
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