China Steps Up in the Space Race.. Big Victory with Zhuque-3!

China has achieved another significant milestone in space exploration with the successful launch of the Zhuque-3 rocket. The rocket was launched on Wednesday from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Launch Center and successfully delivered its payload into the designated orbit. After separation, the rocket’s first stage safely landed on the ground in Minqin County, Gansu Province. The approximately 66.1-metre-long rocket is powered by nine engines in its first stage.

Although this was the second time China successfully recovered a rocket’s first stage, it marked the country’s first successful ground landing of the stage. On July 10, the first stage of the Long March-10B landed at sea. Companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin in the United States have been landing and reusing rocket boosters since 2015. Reusable rocket technology could significantly reduce the cost of future space launches and strengthen China’s position in the global commercial space sector.