Launch

LandSpace ZhuQue-3 Maiden Flight — Orbit Reached, Recovery Failed

Name: LandSpace ZhuQue-3 Maiden Flight — Orbit Reached, Recovery Failed
Start: 2025-12-03T04:00:00.000Z
Location: Space / Orbital
Rating: 88

Type

LAUNCH

Status

PARTIAL SUCCESS

Date

December 3, 2025

FOMO

Summary

LandSpace launched the inaugural flight of its ZhuQue-3 reusable methalox rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on December 3, 2025. The second stage successfully reached a planned 200 x 200 km orbit inclined at 55 degrees — a significant milestone for Chinese commercial launch. However, the first-stage landing attempt approximately 390 km downrange in Wuwei County, Gansu, failed after an anomalous combustion event during the final landing burn. LandSpace confirmed that key phases of the recovery sequence — high-altitude gliding, grid fin deployment, attitude adjustment, and reentry burn — performed as designed, providing valuable data for the next attempt.

Organization

LandSpace

Launch

Mission Data

Vehicle ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3 Y1)

Topics

launch reusability china methalox

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