Zhuque-3

In Development
LandSpace
LandSpace
Zhuque-3

Overview

Two-stage, stainless-steel, methane-liquid oxygen rocket with a reusable first stage; LandSpace's Falcon 9-class vehicle aimed at low-cost, high-cadence launch. An enhanced Zhuque-3E variant is in development.

Maiden flight on December 3, 2025 placed its payload in orbit, but abnormal combustion during descent prevented booster recovery. After a nine-engine first-stage static fire on June 29, 2026, the second flight and first booster-recovery attempt slipped repeatedly toward an August 10-11, 2026 target (landing at the Minqin County pad ~390 km downrange) but was postponed at the last moment, reportedly linked to the unrelated CASC Long March 7A explosion at Wenchang the evening before; launch trackers now estimate no earlier than August 31, 2026, with no new window officially confirmed as of mid-August. LandSpace also expects to fly AVIC's Haolong cargo spaceplane to Tiangong on a Zhuque-3 sometime in 2026, without a confirmed date.

Key Specs

Payload to LEO (expended)

11,800 kg

Payload to LEO (recovered)

8,000 kg

Height

66 m (216 ft)

Diameter

4.5 m (15 ft)

Engines

9 x TQ-12A (stage 1), 1 x TQ-15A (stage 2)

Reusability

First stage designed for up to 20 reuses

First Flight

Dec 3, 2025 (orbit reached; recovery failed)

Zhuque-3E Payload to LEO

21,300 kg expendable / 18,300 kg downrange recovery / 12,500 kg return-to-launch-site (enhanced variant, in development, not yet flown)