Landspace Marks Major Milestone with Reusable Zhuque-3 Static Fire Test

The nine Tianque-12A engines powering the stainless-steel first stage of Zhuque-3 ignited in sequence at Landspace’s Launch Pad 2, located within the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The engines fired for 45 seconds, producing a total of 7,542 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust, and completed gimbal control checks before shutting down as planned. The test validated the full launch preparation sequence, including propellant loading, tank pressurization, engine ignition, steady-state operation, and controlled shutdown.

“This successful test lays a strong foundation for Zhuque-3’s maiden flight and underscores our commitment to reusable launch technology,” Landspace said in a statement following the event.

The test comes as part of a broader national push by China’s private space sector to master reusability — a technological leap pioneered by SpaceX that significantly reduces launch costs. However, challenges such as achieving orbital velocity, safe recovery, and proven reuse still remain.

Zhuque-3, Landspace’s most ambitious project to date, is a two-stage, stainless-steel rocket designed for partial reusability. It stands roughly 66 meters tall and weighs around 570 metric tons at launch — slightly smaller than earlier projections of 76.6 meters and 660 tons, suggesting a scaled-down configuration for its debut flight. The rocket is powered by nine Tianque-12 engines — upgraded to the 12B version for operational launches — burning a clean combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen (methalox).

The company has indicated that Zhuque-3 will be capable of delivering up to 21 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) in an expendable configuration. When recovered downrange, it can carry up to 18.3 tons to LEO, or 12.5 tons if returning to the launch site.

Although no specific date was confirmed in the latest update, Landspace previously targeted the third quarter of 2025 for Zhuque-3’s inaugural orbital mission. That mission is expected to carry a prototype of the Haolong cargo spacecraft, developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute under AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), as part of China’s initiative to establish low-cost cargo delivery services to its Tiangong space station.

The static fire follows Landspace’s September 2024 test in which a prototype first stage successfully flew to an altitude of 10 kilometers and returned. The company has announced plans to attempt full recovery missions beginning in 2026.

Landspace is part of a new wave of Chinese private launch firms born out of a 2014 policy shift allowing non-state capital into China’s commercial space sector. Its Zhuque rocket series, named after the mythological Vermillion Bird, reflect a steady progression in technical capability. After the failure of its solid-fueled Zhuque-1 in 2018, Landspace pivoted to methalox propulsion with the Zhuque-2, which made history in July 2023 as the first methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit. A refined version launched successfully again just last month.

The company’s growth has been bolstered by substantial government backing, including a $123 million investment from China’s National Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrading Fund in December 2024.

As China accelerates its push into reusable launch systems, Landspace joins a growing list of private players including CAS Space, Space Pioneer, and Galactic Energy — all of whom are targeting first flights or major engine tests in 2025. These developments point to an increasingly competitive and technologically advanced Chinese space launch landscape poised to reshape global access to orbit.

By Azhar