China joins Musk’s SpaceX with reusable rocket breakthroughs

AI Summary

China’s LandSpace achieved a breakthrough by launching and recovering the first stage of the reusable Zhuque-3 rocket, delivering a Honghu-3 internet satellite into orbit. This advances China’s goal to reduce space launch costs similar to SpaceX’s reusable technology.

China-based LandSpace successfully launched a Zhuque-3 rocket and recovered its first stage, a breakthrough in the nation’s efforts to develop reusable boosters that can slash the cost of space launches. The first stage of the 66-metre (217-foot) rocket touched down in Minqin County, Gansu province, northwest China, on Wednesday after an eight-minute flight that delivered a Honghu-3 internet satellite into space. Take-off occurred 390 km (242 miles) away at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in...