by LandSpaceCN
Two-stage liquid methane/oxygen rocket designed for reusability. Carries 21.3t to LEO expendable mode. Targets 20+ flights per booster.
Maiden flight Dec 2025; booster landing Aug 2026. Reflying planned 2026.
Updated 18 Aug 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week
Nine TQ-12 turbopump-fed methane/LOX engines provide flexible thrust profile and throttle for powered descent.
After separation, first stage reignites engines to slow descent. Stainless steel legs deploy for vertical landing.
The upper stage uses a single Tianque-15B engine optimized for the vacuum of space, deploying payloads to various low Earth orbits.
| Spec | Zhuque-3 |
|---|---|
| Height | 76.6 mR (reported) |
| Diameter | 4.5 mR (reported) |
| Liftoff mass with full fuel | 660 tonnesR (reported) |
| Thrust at liftoff | 9,000 kNR (reported) |
| Payload to LEO (expendable) | 21.3 tonnesR (reported) |
| Payload to LEO (with booster recovery) | 18.3 tonnesR (reported) |
| Payload to LEO (return-to-launch-site) | 12.5 tonnesR (reported) |
| First-stage engines | 9 TQ-12A or TQ-12BR (reported) |
| Second-stage engine | 1 Tianque-15B vacuum-optimizedR (reported) |
R reported by the company
| Spec | Zhuque-3 | ArianeGroup / Arianespace Ariane 6 | CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.) Long March 10 | Blue Origin New Glenn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 76.6 mR (reported) | 93 mR (reported) | 92.5 mR (reported) | 98 mR (reported) |
| Diameter | 4.5 mR (reported) | 5.4 mR (reported) | 5 mR (reported) | 7 mR (reported) |
| Thrust at liftoff | 9,000 kNR (reported) | — | 26,250 kNR (reported) | — |
R reported by the company
LandSpace
Zhuque-3 reusable rocket, liquid methane, Chinese commercial launch
LandSpace, founded June 2015 in Beijing, is a Chinese commercial space launch provider. Zhuque-3 is a liquid-methane reusable rocket designed for 20+ flights per booster.
