LandSpace Lands Zhuque-3 Booster After Orbit, Narrowing Gap With SpaceX

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 21

LandSpace recovered Zhuque-3’s first stage on a pad in northwest China after sending satellites to orbit on the rocket’s second flight—the first Chinese company to land an orbital-class booster on land.
The success followed a failed descent in Zhuque-3’s December 2025 debut, when the rocket reached orbit but lost its booster to what LandSpace called abnormal combustion.
Zhuque-3 stands 216 feet tall and can carry 40,350 pounds to low Earth orbit, versus Falcon 9 at 230 feet and 50,265 pounds.
That milestone chipped at one of SpaceX’s biggest advantages: booster reusability. SpaceX has landed boosters more than 600 times since 2015, while LandSpace has now done it once.
SpaceX shares still fell more than 2% for the week, slipping below their $135 IPO price as the China competition headline coincided with another 319 million-share lockup expiry.

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Overview

LandSpace made history on August 18, 2026, by successfully recovering the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket after learning from a failed landing in 2025. The company improved its rocket design and safety systems, leading to a smooth booster recovery and a major reduction in launch costs. This breakthrough positions LandSpace as a strong competitor to SpaceX, especially as China’s commercial space sector grows rapidly thanks to supportive government policies and access to state resources. With plans for megaconstellations and a major IPO, LandSpace is set to play a key role in meeting China’s soaring demand for satellite launches and global market ambitions.

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