China's reusable Zhuque-3 rocket successfully reaches orbit

The Zhuque-3 Y1 carrier rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone and completed its planned flight, with the second stage entering the preset orbit as scheduled.

Zhuque-3, developed by LandSpace, is a new-generation liquid oxygen-methane launch vehicle designed to be low-cost, high-capacity, high-frequency and reusable. The Y1 configuration features a two-stage, single-core design with a 4.5-meter diameter for its first and second stages, a 5.2-meter fairing and an overall height of 66.1 meters.

Its propulsion system is based on LandSpace's in-house TQ series liquid oxygen-methane engines. The first stage is equipped with a Reaction Control System (RCS), grid fins and landing legs, enabling vertical return, recovery and reuse after orbital launch.

The mission verified the correctness and reasonability of Zhuque-3's end-to-end testing, launch and flight processes, as well as the compatibility of various system interfaces. It also provided key engineering data under the rocket's real flight conditions, laying an important foundation for future launch services and reliable recovery and reuse of the first stage.