SpaceX pioneered commercial rocket reusability about a decade ago with its workhorse Falcon 9, disrupting an established US launch industry that relied primarily on expendable boosters that are discarded in the ocean or remain in space after their mission.
The reusable Falcon 9 core stage allowed SpaceX to start launching its Starlink satellites in 2019 far faster than its rivals, becoming the world’s largest operator the following year and disrupting the global satellite communications industry.
In October, Musk praised Zhuque-3’s design, saying on X that the Chinese rocket could even beat Falcon 9.
But the gap is still wide and there is no guarantee that LandSpace will catch up. SpaceX had its first successful Falcon booster landing in 2015 after two failed attempts. Much of the global rocket industry has since gradually sought to mimic the company’s reusability model.
Nevertheless, Zhuque-3’s maiden flight puts LandSpace ahead of domestic rivals like iSpace, Galactic Energy and Deep Blue Aerospace, which are working on smaller or less mature systems. It also marks the first time that a Chinese firm has come close to a Falcon 9-class reusable vehicle.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-landspace-reusable-rocket-test-failure-space-ambitions-5530156
