LandSpaces Zhuque-3 Reaches Orbit on Debut, First-Stage Landing Burn Fails
Summary: On July 10, 2026, LandSpaces two-stage partially reusable Zhuque-3 rocket debuted from Jiuquan and reached orbit successfully, but the first stage lost control during its landing burn and failed to recover.
On July 10, 2026, LandSpaces two-stage partially reusable Zhuque-3 rocket completed its debut flight from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The vehicle delivered its payload to the intended orbit, with the second stage operating normally and achieving the primary mission objective. During the first stage separation and return sequence, however, the booster lost attitude control in the landing burn and was unable to complete the planned recovery landing. The company later confirmed that the recovery attempt had failed.
Zhuque-3 uses a stainless-steel airframe with a liquid oxygen and liquid methane propulsion system, designed for first-stage reusability to lower commercial launch costs. This first flight mainly verified orbital-class launch capability, with the recovery test as a secondary objective. According to reports, the live broadcast showed the booster flip maneuver and reentry ignition, but the signal was lost during the final phase of the landing sequence and recovery was not achieved.
The launch is one of the most-watched reusable rocket debuts in Chinese commercial spaceflight in 2026. The first-stage recovery failure did not compromise the overall orbital insertion goal, but the maturity of the landing control algorithms still requires further flight testing. LandSpaces said the company will conduct a full review of flight data to inform subsequent missions. The specific cause of the landing anomaly awaits further official disclosure.