China lands rocket booster on land for first time, eyes SpaceX lead

China achieved a major milestone in its space program by recovering a rocket booster on land for the first time. The Zhuque-3 rocket successfully landed on its legs in the northwestern province of Gansu on August 19, following its mission to send a satellite into orbit. This achievement by developer LandSpace Technology is crucial for the development of reusable rockets, which can significantly reduce the cost of space launches.

While China had previously recovered a rocket at sea in July, this land-based recovery marks a "watershed moment for China’s commercial space sector," according to Eric Zhu, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. The ability to reuse rocket boosters is key to competing in the global satellite launch market, where companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX have already established a strong foothold.

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LandSpace’s successful booster recovery with the Zhuque-3 is a watershed moment for China’s commercial space sector.

SpaceX has been recovering and recycling its Falcon 9 rocket boosters since 2017, enabling it to dominate heavy-lift launches and support its Starlink satellite network. China is also building a similar internet satellite network, which has historically relied on single-use rockets. LandSpace Technology, a leading startup in China's private space industry, is now focused on the engineering challenge of efficiently refurbishing and reflying its hardware, a process that took SpaceX years to master.

Despite this success, China's space program has faced setbacks, including a rocket explosion earlier in August. LandSpace, which previously launched the world's first methane-fueled rocket in 2023, is aiming to catch up to established players like SpaceX and Blue Origin. Other nations, such as India, are also pursuing reusable rocket technology, with AgniKul Cosmos preparing for a similar mission.

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now faces the tougher engineering challenge of demonstrating it can rapidly and cost-effectively refurbish and refly that hardware, a process that took SpaceX several years to master.