LandSpace

Landspace Technology Corporation was established in 2015, after a Chinese government policy change in 2014 that allowed private capital into the space industry. Since its founding, the company has established several aerospace infrastructure sites in Zhejiang, including a $1.5 billion medium and large-scale liquid rocket assembly and test plant in Jiaxing and an intelligent manufacturing base in Huzhou.

LandSpace developed its first launch vehicle Zhuque-1, powered by solid-propellant motors. Zhuque-1 was launched on 27 October 2018, however the payload failed to reach orbit due to an issue with the third stage. The company also developed the liquid-fueled Zhuque-2, which became the first methalox rocket in the world to reach orbit after a successful second flight on 12 July 2023.

Zhuque-1

Zhuque-1 (ZQ-1, Chinese: 朱雀一号 or 朱雀·南太湖号), also known as LandSpace-1 or LS-1, is a 19-metre (62 ft) tall, three-stage solid-propellant rocket with a diameter of 1.35 m. It is likely based on the DF-26 missile's rocket motor. Zhuque-1 has a takeoff mass of 27 t (27 long tons; 30 short tons), a thrust of 45 tf (99,000 lbf), and can carry 300 kg (660 lb) of payload into a 300 km (190 mi) low Earth orbit (LEO).

The maiden flight of Zhuque-1 took place on 27 October 2018, from a mobile platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, carrying the Weilai-1 satellite for China Central Television. Despite successful first and second stage firings and fairing separation, the payload failed to reach orbit due to a third-stage issue. Zhuque-1 was the first Chinese private orbital rocket to attempt an orbital launch.

Following the launch, reports emerged that the solid rocket motor manufacturer had ended its contract with LandSpace, casting doubt on the future of Zhuque-1. Subsequently, LandSpace announced it would shift its focus to developing the methane-fueled Zhuque-2.

Zhuque-2

Zhuque-2 (ZQ-2) is a medium-sized liquid-fuelled rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane capable of lifting 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) of payload into a 200 km (120 mi) LEO, or 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) of payload into a 500 km (310 mi) sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The first flight of Zhuque-2 occurred on 14 December 2022, but the launch vehicle failed to place its payload into orbit due to the failure of its second-stage vernier engines after the second-stage main engine shutdown. Nevertheless, with this maiden launch, Zhuque-2 became the first methane-fueled rocket to reach space. On 12 July 2023, the second flight was successful, making it the first methane-fueled launch vehicle in the world to reach orbit; this flight did not carry an active payload. On 8 December 2023, the third Zhuque-2 mission successfully placed three satellites into a 433 by 461 kilometers sun-synchronous orbit.

Zhuque-3

Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) is a two-stage, medium-to-heavy launch vehicle made of stainless steel and powered by liquid methane fuel. Equipped with nine Tianque-12 engines (TQ-12A for the original variant, and TQ-12B for the ZQ-3E variant), five of which can gimbal and four which cannot, the first stage is designed to be recoverable and reusable for up to twenty launches. Zhuque-3 rocket is 66 meters long, 4.5 meters in diameter, and have a liftoff weight of approximately 550 tonnes. Its payload capacity to low Earth orbit is about 11.8 tonnes in expendable mode, and 8 tonnes when the first stage is recovered. Zhuque-3E (ZQ-3E) variant will be 76.6 meters long, 4.5 meters in diameter, and have a liftoff weight of approximately 660 tonnes; its planned payload capacity to low Earth orbit is about 21.3 tonnes in expendable mode, 18.3 tonnes when the first stage is recovered downrange, and 12.5 tonnes when the first stage returns to the launch site.

The maiden flight of Zhuque-3 occurred on 3 December 2025, with the rocket reaching orbit, although the attempted first stage landing failed after "an abnormal combustion" occurred during the landing burn. A number of adjustments were made to the design following this attempt, including a reduction in the number of engines used for the landing burn, additions to the autonomous safety control system, and increased thermal protection.

A second launch and recovery attempt took place on 18 August 2026, which resulted in the first-stage successfully landing 390 kilometres downrange of the launch pad after deploying the payload to orbit. The landing marked the first successful stage-recovery on land in China, and a company representative stated that they intend to refly the recovered stage within six months.

Zhuque-1 launches

Zhuque-2 launches

Zhuque-3 launches

LandSpace is in competition with several other Chinese space rocket startups, among them LinkSpace, Galactic Energy, ExPace, i-Space, OneSpace, Deep Blue Aerospace, Space Pioneer, CAS Space, and Space Epoch.