LandSpace aims to have a reusable rocket in '26

Chinese rocket developer LandSpace plans to successfully recover a reusable booster in mid-2026, a company executive said in an interview, underscoring the Beijing-based firm’s ambition to become China’s answer to SpaceX.

- EDUARDO BAPTISTA

The ability to return, recover, and reuse a rocket's engine-packed first stage, or booster, after launch is crucial to reducing costs and making it easier for countries to send satellites into orbit, and to turn space exploration into a commercially viable business similar to civil aviation.

Earlier this month, privately-owned LandSpace became the first Chinese entity to conduct a full reusable rocket test, when Zhuque-3 blasted off from a remote area in northwest China for its maiden flight, drawing comparisons to US aerospace giant SpaceX.