Sunday, August 9, 2026
LandSpace targets August 10 for Zhuque-3 booster catch
LandSpace is targeting August 10 for its second orbital launch and first-stage catch attempt of the reusable Zhuque-3 rocket, with liftoff and landing planned for around 7:45 p.m. EDT (early morning August 11 in Beijing) from the Dongfeng pad at Jiuquan. The company's first Zhuque-3 flight in December 2025 reached orbit, but the booster exploded during its final descent toward the pad; this attempt follows a June 29 nine-engine static fire and would be China's fourth attempt at recovering an orbital booster, after the Long March 10B's successful landing on July 10.