China lands a rocket booster on the ground for the first time

LandSpace successfully landed the first stage of its 66.1-metre Zhuque-3 rocket on solid ground in Gansu after launching a satellite from Jiuquan, marking China’s first land-based booster recovery. The stainless-steel, methane-LOX vehicle, capable of delivering 14.2 tonnes to low-Earth orbit, aims to reuse each booster up to 20 times, with a first re-flight planned within six months.