On August 19, the Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket developed by LandSpace lifted off and successfully completed a land-based recovery. This mission marked China’s first successful controlled land recovery of a reusable launch vehicle’s first stage using landing legs, following the sea-based net recovery of the Long March 10B rocket’s first stage on July 10. The achievement signifies a major breakthrough in China’s reusable rocket technology.
The same day, as netizens on X discussed the event, someone dug up a “prediction” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made back in 2011 about the global rocket technology race. Back then, Musk wrote, “SpaceX has essentially backed Boeing, Lockheed, Europe (Ariane), and Russia (Proton/Soyuz) into a corner when it comes to rocket tech. The endgame of this race will be decided only by China.”
The netizen marveled at how “spot on” Musk’s prediction turned out to be. Musk then reposted the thread and replied, “China is also the strongest competitor in AI right now.”
Several international media outlets covering China’s land-based rocket recovery highlighted the rapid growth of China’s commercial space sector. Reuters reported that rocket recovery is crucial for cutting costs, potentially turning space exploration into a commercially viable business akin to civil aviation. With this feat, LandSpace became the third private company worldwide, after SpaceX and Blue Origin, to successfully recover an orbital-class booster, further narrowing the technology gap between China and the U.S. in this field.
Space.com, in its coverage, recalled China’s world-first net-based rocket recovery this July, describing how “the Long March 10B rocket gently descended into a net device secured on a ship at sea.” This time, however, the Zhuque-3 touched down directly on land, relying on its landing legs to remain upright.
The outlet also noted that beyond LandSpace, several other Chinese private commercial aerospace firms are currently developing reusable first-stage recovery technologies. Given the momentum of China’s commercial space industry, “rocket landings and recoveries in China may no longer be big news in the future.”