China lands a rocket booster on the ground for the first time
The Chinese startup LandSpace recovered the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket on Wednesday. It is one of only a handful of private companies to land an orbital-class booster. Reuters reported that the feat places LandSpace alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin, and narrows China’s gap with the US in reusable rockets.
The booster came back on its legs in the northwestern province of Gansu, after helping send a satellite into orbit. That account came from the state news agency Xinhua, cited by Bloomberg. The rocket lifted off from Jiuquan, one of China’s main launch centres. The first stage then touched down about 390km away, according to Reuters.
It is the first time China has recovered a rocket booster on land. The country pulled off a recovery last month, but did so at sea, using a net on a floating platform.
Why landing a booster matters
The ability to...
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