In a global 1st, China achieves both sea, land recovery of reusable rocket booster
Following July's offshore net capture of Long March-10B, country secures 1st-ever vertical land landing of Zhuque-3 Y2 booster
Aamir Latif 19 August 2026•Update: 19 August 2026
ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL
China on Wednesday became the first country to successfully demonstrate the recovery of orbital-class reusable rocket stages both on land and at sea, following the historic touchdown of its Zhuque-3 commercial rocket booster, state media reported.
The 66.1-meter (216.8-foot) Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket blasted off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwestern China, according to state-run Xinhua News.
It lifted off, with the nine-engine first stage, or booster, returning to a landing site in Gansu province, 390 kilometers (242 miles) southeast of the launch pad.
The land-based recovery was completed with the rocket's first stage touching down smoothly at the designated position at the recovery site using deployable landing legs.
The second stage sent the onboard Honghu-03 satellite into preset orbit.
The milestone makes China the first nation to validate two distinct recovery methods: Wednesday's vertical landing on solid ground and the sea-based offshore net capture of the Long March-10B's first stage completed on July 10.
With the successful land-based recovery of the rocket, China has become the “first country to succeed in orbital launch recovery down distinct technological pathways, pulling off a dual-track strategy,” the South China Morning Post reported.
Developed by Chinese commercial aerospace company LandSpace, Zhuque-3 is approved by the China National Space Administration as a new-generation liquid oxygen-methane-powered rocket for low-cost, high-capacity, and high-frequency launches.
Zhuque-3 is made of stainless steel, which offers greater heat resistance and the prospect of reduced production costs.
It can lift 14.2 metric tons to low Earth orbit on a one-way trip.
The US pioneered the recovery of rockets after launch but has yet to operate dual tracks for recovery.
With its launch on Wednesday, LandSpace joined US companies SpaceX and Blue Origin, as well as the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, for successful controlled recovery of a reusable rocket from an orbital launch.
