China’s Falcon 9 clone nails its first landing — third time’s the charm

Chinese private space company LandSpace has successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket, marking a major milestone for the country's reusable launch vehicle program. The launch took place on August 18, 2026, at 23:35 UTC from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket delivered the Honghu-03 satellite into orbit, while the first stage separated and performed a controlled landing on a prepared ground pad.

This was the second test flight of the Zhuque-3. During the first launch in November 2025, the rocket successfully placed a payload mockup into orbit, but the landing attempt failed. The first stage executed the re-entry burn and headed toward the landing site, but a fire broke out during the final landing burn, causing the stage to crash into the pad at high speed. This time, all phases — from the re-entry burn to the final touchdown — went smoothly, with no anomalies reported.

The Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) is a reusable launch vehicle often described as a Chinese copy of SpaceX's Falcon 9. Its first stage is powered by nine methane-fueled TQ-12A engines, while the second stage uses a single TQ-15A methane engine. The rocket's design closely mirrors the Falcon 9's architecture, featuring grid fins, landing legs, and a vertical landing profile.

LandSpace is a Chinese private aerospace startup founded in 2015. The company has developed three launch vehicles to date and was the first private Chinese company to attempt an orbital satellite launch. With the successful landing of the Zhuque-3 first stage, LandSpace has demonstrated a key capability that only a handful of companies — primarily SpaceX — have achieved. The company is now one step closer to offering reusable rocket services, which could significantly reduce launch costs for both commercial and government customers in China.