Reusable rocket milestone opens a door for Hong Kong’s space ambitions

AI Summary

China's LandSpace successfully conducted a first-ever land-based recovery of an orbital-class rocket's first stage with its Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket, marking a major milestone in reusable rocket technology. This achievement places China alongside SpaceX in advanced space launch and recovery capabilities.

On the morning of August 19, LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area. After deploying its second stage and payload into orbit, the rocket’s first stage touched down softly at a recovery site in Gansu province using deployable landing legs. It was China’s first successful land-based recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster that had just completed an orbital mission – a feat previously achieved only by SpaceX. Just over a month earlier,...