Chinese private space startup Landspace has successfully completed a 10-kilometer vertical take-off and vertical landing on its Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) rocket test bed, including an in-flight engine restart at near-supersonic speeds.
Image source: Landspace
The 18.3-meter craft took off from the launch pad of the Jiuquan base in northwestern China, rose to a height of 10,002 meters, and then made a vertical descent and successfully landed 3.2 kilometers from the launch site. It is noteworthy that the variable thrust methane engine was deliberately turned off during flight and then turned on again upon landing to test different options and modes of operation.
According to information from Landspace, “all indicators were consistent with project expectations.” The company considers the test an important milestone towards the launch of its Zhuque-3 rocket as early as next year. Equipped with nine methane-fuelled main engines, Zhuque-3 will be able to deliver 21 tons of payload to low Earth orbit using an expendable upper stage. And in 2026, Landspace plans to begin restoring and reusing the first stages.
Landspace is one of several Chinese companies seriously working on reusable rocket designs. Another Chinese company, Deep Blue Aerospace, plans to conduct a 100-kilometer suborbital test of a reusable booster ahead of the maiden flight of its Nebula-1 mid-range rocket next year.