Chinese reusable rocket completes flight with vertical landing

September 12 () –

China’s reusable test rocket Zhuque-3 successfully completed a 10-kilometer vertical takeoff and landing flight test at the Jiuquan Launch Center on Wednesday.

The test procedure included climb, engine shutdown, power-off glide, in-flight engine restart, and soft landing, and all performance indicators met the expected design specifications, Xinhua reports.

The test rocket is a single-stage liquid oxygen-methane vehicle, with a diameter of 3.35 meters and a length of 18.3 meters. It uses the same high-strength stainless steel fuselage structure as the Zhuque-3 rocket.

In addition to the first flight test in January, these two vertical takeoff and landing flight tests successfully verified several key technologies for reusable rockets, laying the groundwork for the future maiden flight and recovery of the Zhuque-3 rocket, according to LandSpace, the Chinese company that developed the rocket.

CGTN television channel posted images of the test on its X account.