China launches Zhuque-3 rocket, achieving its first rocket recovery on land(1/3)

China's Zhuque-3 Y-2 rocket lifts off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China, August 19, 2026. (Photo provided to China News Service)

It marked China's first successful land-based controlled recovery of a rocket's first stage using deployable landing legs, highlighting a major breakthrough in the country's reusable rocket technology.

China's Zhuque-3 Y-2 rocket lifts off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China, August 19, 2026. (Photo provided to China News Service)

China's Zhuque-3 Y-2 rocket lifts off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China, August 19, 2026. (Photo provided to China News Service)