Chinese commercial launch company Landspace is planning a second attempt to land its orbital booster, the Zhuque-3 rocket, on August 10, 2026. The launch is scheduled to take place around 7:45 p.m. EDT (23:45 GMT, or 7:45 a.m. Beijing time, August 11) from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone at Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China.
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This follows Landspace's first Zhuque-3 launch in December 2025, when the second stage successfully reached orbit, but the first stage exploded during its landing attempt. In preparation for the upcoming launch, the company conducted a successful static fire test of the Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket on June 29, 2026. Landspace reported that all systems operated normally during the test, providing a solid foundation for future missions.
The Zhuque-3, a 216-foot (66-meter) rocket powered by methane-liquid oxygen engines, has capabilities similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9 and can carry up to 40,350 pounds (18,300 kilograms) to low Earth orbit (LEO).
If successful, this launch will mark China's fourth attempt at recovering an orbital booster. The previous attempts include the initial Zhuque-3 launch and the subsequent Long March 12A, which also reached orbit but failed during a recovery attempt. A successful recovery occurred on July 10 with the Long March 10B, making China the second country to successfully land an orbital booster, using a vessel with a net-capture system. Landspace will utilize powered descent and landing legs for its upcoming attempt, mirroring the technology used by Falcon 9.