Zhuque-3 Reusable Rocket First Stage Hot-Fire Test Succeeds with 7,542 kN Total Thrust from 9 LOX-Methane Engines
Summary: On June 20, 2026, Landspaces Zhuque-3 reusable rocket completed a successful first-stage hot-fire test with nine Tianque-12A LOX-methane engines producing 7,542 kN total thrust.
On June 20, 2026, LandSpace successfully completed a full first-stage hot-fire test of its Zhuque-3 reusable launch vehicle at the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone within the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The test article was a stainless-steel first stage integrated with nine Tianque-12A LOX-methane engines, all developed and manufactured in-house by LandSpace at its Huzhou propulsion production facility. The nine engines ignited in sequence and fired in parallel for approximately 45 seconds, generating a combined thrust of 7,542 kN.
The Tianque-12A is an upgraded variant of the Tianque-12 engine family. The nine-engine cluster configuration is the standard propulsion layout for Zhuque-3's first stage, and this test marks the first time that configuration has been validated on the ground at the full first-stage level. In earlier test flights, a single Tianque-12A engine powered a prototype test stage that flew for roughly 60 seconds and reached an altitude of about 350 meters in a vertical takeoff and landing demonstration.
Zhuque-3 is LandSpace's medium-to-heavy partially reusable launch vehicle, featuring a stainless-steel airframe and LOX-methane propulsion designed for first-stage recovery and reuse. The successful hot-fire test of the complete first-stage propulsion system represents a critical milestone on the path toward the rocket's inaugural orbital flight. According to reports, the first launch is expected to take place within 2026.