Chinese reusable rocket explodes in fireball while attempting to land, but China celebrates historic flight

Landspace’s Zhuque-3 rocket takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Dec. 3, 2025 in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. (Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

#China rocket

The first test flight of China’s new reusable rocket ended with a spectacular explosion, but it is still being treated as an important milestone for China’s space program

On Tuesday, December 2nd, the private company Landspace launched the Zhuque-3 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the middle of the Gobi Desert in northern China.

Standing 66 meters tall and made entirely of stainless steel, the rocket is powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen, a modern combination called methalox.

It successfully placed the disposable second stage into orbit, fulfilling the main objective of the mission.

The big test, however, was to bring back the first stage, just as SpaceX does with the Falcon 9.

After separating and re-entering the atmosphere, the main stage reignited its engines for a controlled landing.

Everything seemed perfect until the last few seconds: suddenly, one of the nine engines appeared to fail, the rocket lost control, caught fire in mid-air, and crashed, exploding in a huge fireball.

Even so, it landed just meters from the exact predicted point.

This is a spectacular view of the fiery, failed Zhuque-3 first stage landing attempt over the desert.

Landspace was quick to issue a statement on social media: “An anomaly occurred as the first stage approached the recovery zone.

There was no risk to people.” The company is already investigating what went wrong, but made a point of celebrating: “China’s first rocket recovery attempt achieved all expected technical objectives.” Among the successes are the validation of the recovery system, the ability to reduce and increase engine power in flight, and precise orientation control.

The Zhuque-3 is clearly inspired by SpaceX’s Falcon 9: it has a reusable first stage, a disposable second stage, and nine engines at the base.

The biggest difference is the fuel: while the Falcon 9 uses kerosene, the Chinese rocket uses methane, the same choice SpaceX made for the gigantic Starship.

In terms of payload capacity, the two are quite similar: the Zhuque-3 can carry about 18.3 tons to low Earth orbit, only slightly less than the Falcon 9’s 22.8 tons.

LANDSPACE failed to recover Zhuque-3’s first stage on its maiden launch. But the launch was a success. The payload has been inserted into orbit! Congratulations

Landspace had already made history before: in July 2023, its previous rocket, the Zhuque-2, became the world’s first methane-powered rocket to reach space.

The Zhuque family name comes from the red bird of Chinese mythology, a symbol of the element of fire, which perfectly matched the fiery ending of this test.

Despite the landing ending in an explosion, the company and the Chinese public are celebrating.

It was the first time a Chinese reusable rocket returned from space and almost hit its target.

For a first flight, landing just meters from the marked point after surviving reentry is an achievement that brings the country closer to having its own fleet of rockets that ascend, deliver payloads, and return to be used again, just as happens in the United States.

The next test, they promise, will be an attempt to actually land.

Published in 12/04/2025 07h13

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Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption. Information about DOI, author and institution can be found in the body of the article.

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