LandSpace's Zhang Xiaodong: Zhuque-3 to Sprint for Reuse Testing in First Half of 2026, Building Low-Cost 'Bus' for Space Computing
Summary: At the 2026 Space Computing Industry Conference, Zhang Xiaodong, chief designer of LandSpace's reusable Zhuque-3 rocket, announced the 2026 development and test plan: the Yao-2 rocket will conduct another recovery test in the first half of 2026, sprinting for the core goal of first-stage recovery; in the fourth quarter, depending on recovery test progress, the first reusable flight will be attempted. Zhang noted that current launch service capacity has become a core bottleneck restricting large-scale constellation deployment in China, and reusable launch vehicles are the core solution to this challenge.
View conference photo (Science and Technology Innovation Daily)
Credit: Science and Technology Innovation Daily reporter Li Mingming
Massive Launch Supply-Demand Gap
In his speech, Zhang pointed out that while China's space industry has broad development space in satellite development and satellite applications, the supply capacity of launch services is far from meeting future needs for low-orbit internet, space computing, and other constellation construction.
His team conducted preliminary calculations based on industry projections of constellation deployment targets at the hundreds of thousands of satellites level: if China is to complete the launch and deployment of 220,000 satellites, an average of 500 medium-to-large launch vehicles will be needed annually over the next 7-10 years, which represents a massive gap with current industry reality—in 2025, China completed 92 rocket launches total, placing 371 satellites into space, with medium-to-large rocket launches accounting for only a small portion, while the rest were small and micro-rocket launches.
Reusable Rockets as Core Solution
Facing such a stark supply-demand gap, Zhang explicitly stated that reusable launch vehicles are the core solution to resolving this contradiction, offering low cost, high-frequency launch capability, and high reliability compared to traditional expendable rockets.
Cost Control
Using SpaceX's Falcon 9 as an example, he provided calculation data: in the traditional expendable configuration, Falcon 9's launch cost per kilogram is less than $3,000, but with increasing rocket reuse count, launch costs show a continuous downward trend, potentially dropping to approximately $1,700 per kilogram—a cost reduction of nearly 50%.
Launch Efficiency
The realization of high-frequency launch capability relies precisely on the cross-generational technological breakthrough of reusable rockets, rather than the production model of traditional expendable rockets. According to theoretical calculations, a factory producing 25 expendable rockets annually, when switched to reusable rocket production mode, can support 50 launch missions in the first year, and launch capacity can increase to nearly 100 launches in the second year.
Reliability Improvement
Traditional expendable rockets use open-loop design and cannot verify design rationality and redundancy after flight; reusable rockets, after first-stage recovery, can complete design iteration and optimization through comprehensive inspection and testing. Additionally, their design philosophy itself is oriented toward dozens of reuse missions, with much higher requirements for flight systems than expendable rockets that only need to complete hundreds of seconds of flight.
Zhuque-3 Development Progress
As a core model among China's commercial space sector targeting reusable technology, Zhang detailed the development status of Zhuque-3 rocket:
- The rocket has been developed following a fully reusable design philosophy
- Has completed all work for preliminary design, prototype design, and prototype stages, as well as various large-scale ground tests
- In launch mode, Zhuque-3 has completed optimization upgrades based on the traditional rocket's three-flat mode
- Relying on LandSpace's self-built launch site, it has created a dedicated launch tower and fairing combination crane
- The rocket adopts a separate stage transfer mode for first and second stages; after satellites complete testing, they can complete transfer and lifting while maintaining vertical state throughout, providing better environmental protection for satellites
Subsequent Test Plan
Zhang announced Zhuque-3's subsequent development and test plan:
- First half of 2026: Zhuque-3 Yao-2 rocket will conduct another recovery test, sprinting for the core goal of first-stage recovery
- Fourth quarter of 2026: Depending on recovery test progress, the first reusable flight will be attempted
The team's long-term goal is to complete construction of a full-process integrated system covering reusable launch vehicle design, production, testing, launch, recovery, maintenance, and reuse during the "15th Five-Year Plan," aiming to achieve high-frequency launch capability by the end of the "15th Five-Year Plan."
Industry Collaboration Initiatives
Facing China's space computing constellation development, Zhang proposed specific initiatives for industry and policy levels:
Advance top-level planning: Hope the industry completes rocket and satellite top-level planning in advance, clarifying timeline nodes and demand scale for large-scale orbital launches, promoting rocket manufacturers to complete production capacity layout in advance
Promote interface standardization: Promote industry interface standardization, unify star-rocket mechanical interface and electrical interface standards, and promote modular design. After all, the annual demand for 500 medium-to-large rocket launches cannot be supported by Zhuque-3 alone—requires joint effort from all domestic launch vehicle development organizations. Standardized interfaces will significantly improve full-industry collaboration efficiency
Policy support: Hope for relevant policy-level support to promote construction of coastal launch sites, offshore recovery, and other infrastructure; meanwhile, optimize current launch permit approval process, exploring new models such as batch permits and packaged approvals for mature model batch launches
Space Computing Constellation Deployment Recommendations
Combining space computing constellation development needs, Zhang provided specific recommendations from orbital layout and satellite platform adaptation dimensions:
- Orbital layout: Space computing constellations can prioritize deployment in dawn-dusk orbits with superior solar illumination and heat dissipation conditions, while seizing other orbital planes that can achieve global coverage in advance
- Satellite platform design: Promote platform adaptation with rocket capabilities; on one hand, scale up to adapt to computing needs and fairing effective volume; on the other hand, use flat stackable deployment to improve fairing space utilization; meanwhile, prioritize low-orbit deployment paths to reduce orbital debris after rocket satellite release