LandSpace Completes China's First Rocket Vertical Landing Recovery
Nashnova编辑部
On August 19 LandSpace's Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket landed its first stage vertically at a site in Gansu province — China's first orbital-class land-based vertical rocket recovery. The milestone also fills a critical engineering-validation gap for LandSpace's pending STAR Market IPO.
What exactly did this recovery achieve?
The Zhuque-3 Y2 first stage launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Zone, then flew back and landed vertically on a pad just 60 m × 60 m.
This means → LandSpace validated a full technology stack: liquid methane-oxygen propellant + stainless-steel airframe + landing-leg vertical recovery, all three proven together in one flight.
In plain terms = the rocket flew up, delivered its payload to orbit, flew back, and stood itself upright on land — a first for a Chinese private company.
What went wrong last time, and what changed?
In December 2025 the Y1 maiden flight put its second stage into orbit, but the first stage failed during the final landing burn and did not soft-land.
Three targeted fixes on Y2: fewer engines firing during the landing burn to simplify the system, a new "predicted-impact safety" mode that lets the rocket calculate its likely landing point in real time and abort if needed, and better autonomous control during re-entry.
In plain terms = the last flight stumbled at the very last step. LandSpace simplified that step and handed the safety call to the rocket's own computers — a targeted fix, not a redesign.
How many recovery approaches does China now have?
In July 2026 the Long March 10B completed sea-based net-capture recovery: no landing legs — an offshore platform caught the first stage in a net.
Zhuque-3 takes the autonomous vertical-landing path: the rocket carries grid fins — foldable aerodynamic surfaces that steer it through the atmosphere — plus landing legs and an attitude-control system, decelerating under engine power to stand on its own.
This means → Chinese commercial space is validating two parallel approaches — sea-based net capture vs. land-based self-landing — rather than betting on one.
What else was new on this flight?
The second-stage engine was upgraded with a higher-expansion-ratio nozzle — a wider exhaust bell that lets combustion gases expand more fully, boosting thrust efficiency and payload capacity.
The rocket carried LandSpace's in-house non-pyrotechnic stacked clamp-release mechanism — a satellite-separation device that uses mechanical force instead of explosives — preparing for future multi-satellite and constellation-deployment missions.
Twelve consumer-grade action cameras, adapted for spaceflight, were mounted on the airframe and recorded the entire launch, return, and recovery sequence.
How far is recovery from commercial reuse?
In a conventional expendable liquid rocket, the first stage accounts for roughly 70% of total cost. This means → the core value of reuse is spreading that 70% across multiple flights.
But between "successful recovery" and "commercial re-flight" sits a full cycle: launch → recovery → inspection → refurbishment → re-flight. Engine inspection intervals, part-replacement rates, and airframe re-testing requirements will directly set re-flight cost and launch cadence.
In plain terms = landing upright is only the first gate. Whether this recovered first stage can actually fly again — and fly economically — is the real commercial test.
What does this mean for LandSpace's IPO?
LandSpace's STAR Market IPO application was accepted by the Shanghai Stock Exchange on December 31, 2025; review status is "inquiry issued," with a planned raise of RMB 7.5 billion.
By completing both a commercial-payload orbit insertion and a first-stage recovery on Y2, LandSpace has delivered a new engineering-validation data point for the question investors care most about: Zhuque-3 reuse-technology maturity.
This reflects a company that needs to keep proving itself with flight results inside its IPO window — recovery is a milestone, but the next question investors will ask is: when does this first stage fly again?
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.