The achievement marks the first time a Chinese private company has successfully recovered a rocket after an orbital launch using landing legs to bring it back to the ground and land it upright.
On July 10, a Long March 10B rocket operated by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation also demonstrated a recovery maneuver. However, its return involved external assistance. Zhuque-3, by contrast, landed independently using its own landing legs.
LandSpace said the mission was an important test of the rocket's technology and demonstrated its potential for repeated use. The company said the successful landing also helped validate the rocket's design, reliability and first-stage recovery capabilities.
Zhuque-3 bears a visual resemblance to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which first demonstrated a successful post-launch landing in 2015 and has since completed hundreds of such landings.
The two rockets have similar reusable boosters and are also broadly comparable in size and lifting capability. However, they use different fuels.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 uses liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene, while Zhuque-3 is powered by liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
The Zhuque-3 was launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Zone in northwestern China. It was the rocket's second test flight.
During the mission, the rocket reached orbit and deployed a satellite before returning to Earth and successfully landing its first stage.
Reusable rocket technology is considered important for reducing the cost of space missions and enabling more frequent launches. China's latest achievement marks another significant step in its efforts to compete in the rapidly developing global space industry.
