The first launch and recovery of a reusable rocket in China was a success, according to Beijing-based LandSpace Technology, which launched its Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket on August 19.
Blasting off from Dongfeng commercial space center in Northwest China, after 137 seconds, the rocket's first and second stages separated. The second stage continued to orbit to launch a satellite, while the first-stage booster made a successful soft-landing at a pad in Minqin County, Gansu Province, LandSpace said, which verifies the design and reliability of the reusable launch vehicle system.
Although the booster was later damaged after an unexpected fire, it achieved a vertical soft-landing based on a recovery mechanism similar to that of SpaceX's Falcon 9 which uses four onboard landing legs to make an upright touchdown.
Zhuque-3 rockets use liquid-oxygen-methane propellant and they are designed to be reused at least 20 times.
In July, China's Long March-10B achieved the world's first sea-based net- capture recovery on its maiden flight.
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