Zhuque 3

LandSpace Technology launched the Zhuque-3 (LandSpace-3: LS-3, Zhuque-3: ZQ-3) rocket for the first time on December 3.

China's Zhuque-3 rocket test flight this week was its first attempt to replicate U.S. rocket reusability.

The ZhuQue-3 launch occurred on December 5, 2025, at 01:52:24 UTC.

The Zhuque-3 test flight ended in explosive failure.

The booster of the Zhuque-3 rocket is equipped with nine Tianque-12A engines.

The Zhuque-3 rocket consists of a reusable first stage and a disposable second stage.

The Zhuque-3 rocket uses grid fins and a Reaction Control System (RCS) to maintain orientation and steer for landing.

The Zhuque-3 rocket achieved successful orbital insertion before the landing attempt.

Zhuque-3 has a height of about 66 meters, a diameter of 4.5 meters, and a liftoff mass close to 560 - 570 metric tons, designed to place heavy payloads into low Earth and sun-synchronous orbits.

Zhuque-3 is LandSpace's first heavy-lift platform aimed at reflight of the first stage.

The first stage of Zhuque-3 is equipped with grid fins and four deployable landing legs to enable vertical landings on a pad in the downrange recovery zone.

LandSpace has indicated that Zhuque-3 will continue through a stepwise test campaign to refine hardware and software toward operational reusability.

The first stage of the Zhuque-3 performed its duties and successfully delivered its payload into orbit.

Recovery attempts in other reusable programs have also experienced early failures, and analysts describe the ZQ 3 Y1 flight as part of the normal development path for a new booster.

The ZQ 3 Y1 mission lifted off around noon local time with nine methane-fueled engines powering the first stage.

Zhuque-3 is built around stainless-steel propellant tanks and methane engines, balancing structural strength, temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and production cost while supporting multiple uses of the first stage.

Zhuque-3 successfully lifted off.

Zhuque-3 is a space launch vehicle developed by LandSpace.