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China's Private Rocket Maker Just Landed a Booster Like SpaceX's Falcon-9--Here's How They Did It
LandSpace successfully recovered its ZQ-3 rocket booster, signaling that China's private space industry is catching up to SpaceX's reusable landing technology.
What: Chinese private firm LandSpace recovered the first-stage booster of its ZQ-3 rocket using a landing-leg method similar to the SpaceX Falcon 9. The ZQ-3 utilizes stainless steel construction and liquid oxygen-methane engines to target lower launch costs through rapid refurbishment.
Why it matters: Reusable first-stage boosters are essential for cost-effective launch economics, and this success demonstrates that the technical hurdle of vertical landing is no longer a unique advantage held solely by Western firms.
Decoder
- Liquid oxygen-methane engine: A type of rocket engine that uses liquid methane as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer, favored for its high efficiency and tendency to produce less soot during combustion, which facilitates easier engine reuse.
Original article
China's LandSpace recovered the first-stage booster of its ZQ-3 rocket on its second attempt. The ZQ-3 is comparable to SpaceX's current workhorse, the Falcon 9. It has a stainless steel rocket body and liquid oxygen-methane engines, which could enable it to achieve even lower launch costs than the Falcon 9. Its landing-leg recovery method allows the rocket to be quickly refurbished and relaunched as engineers only need to maintain the rocket itself without having to repair ground recovery equipment.
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