China’s Zhuque-3 Rocket Successfully Completed Tests
Credit: LandSpace
The Chinese equivalent of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first-stage recovery stage has completed its first comprehensive test fire. The launch of the advanced rocket is expected before the end of this year, despite this summer’s test failures.
The key test took place on October 20 at the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone in northwest China. During the test, the rocket was secured to the ground and its engines fired at full power without lifting off the launch pad—one of the final checks before flight.
Zhuque-3 is a two-stage, 66-meter-tall rocket capable of launching payloads of up to 18.3 tons into low Earth orbit, only slightly less than the Falcon 9’s 22.8 tons. Like the Falcon 9, the rocket features a reusable first stage and nine Tianque-12A engines, which run on methane and liquid oxygen.
The first launch of the Zhuque-3 rocket, planned for November or December, will not include a landing attempt for the return stage, as the company previously stated. The first landing attempt will take place in 2026. The introduction of China’s reusable rocket will significantly boost China’s space activities.
