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Beijing Zhongke Aerospace Exploration Technology Co., Ltd. is the first domestic aerospace enterprise with mixed ownership, and it is also the target enterprise that Oriental Aerospace Port focuses on introducing. Relying on the scientific research strength and resource advantages of the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Aerospace Flight Technology Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Aerospace Science and Technology has been committed to the research and development and integration of space technology and aerospace vehicles as a platform for the transformation of major national scientific research projects, as well as the transformation and provision of technological achievements. Aerospace launch service. The Lijian-1 rocket project also adds a brand-new name card to the Oriental Space Port, which will surely promote the construction of the Oriental Space Port to take a solid step forward.

First Sea Launch! LiJian-1 Y17 Carrier Rocket Successfully Rolls Out of Factory… On August 13, 2026, the LiJian-1 Y17 carrier rocket successfully completed its final assembly and testing at the CAS Aerospace Industrialization Base and passed the factory acceptance review. It is scheduled to launch three satellites in one launch from the waters near Guangdong in the near future.

The countdown has begun for CAS Space’s first sea-based launch mission, with the LiJian-1 carrier rocket launch support system completing key verifications. LiJian1

The countdown begins for the maiden sea launch of the LiJian-1 carrier rocket! On August 25th, CAS Aerospace successfully completed a joint launch and ground-launch rehearsal for the LiJian-1 carrier rocket. This rehearsal simulated the entire launch day process, conducting over ten tests including launch pad erection, moving base self-alignment, and anti-tipping device control. It achieved closed-loop verification of the entire launch support system, demonstrating the complete mission flow from land-sea transport to long-range sea launch, marking the official start of the countdown to the LiJian-1 carrier rocket’s maiden sea launch.

For the sea launch scenario, CAS Aerospace verified the application capabilities of various innovative solutions. In this rehearsal, CAS Aerospace’s self-developed highly integrated sea launch pad was used for the first time in a live-fire exercise. This equipment is the world’s first integrated launch pad for a 100-ton-class solid rocket. Relying on a single set of fully functional equipment, the entire chain of rocket transportation, rapid erection, and docking can be completed in a closed loop. Notably, the launch pad erection and leveling time is only 120 seconds, and the entire transportation to launch process takes as little as 48 hours. This effectively streamlines the maritime launch mission chain, shortens the overall operation cycle, and significantly reduces the transportation and engineering implementation costs of maritime launches. It provides strong support for the high-frequency, fast-response, and low-cost launch requirements in constellation networking and satellite replenishment scenarios.

To cope with the harsh environmental challenges of high salt spray corrosion at sea, CAS Aerospace innovatively adopted an air-supported membrane mobile insulated workshop, creating a robust protective “golden shield” for the rocket. Compared to traditional steel structure workshops, this air-supported membrane workshop offers superior sealing and protection performance, increases insulation capacity by 100%, reduces weight by more than two-thirds, and lowers overall costs by approximately 80%. Long-distance transportation, installation, and commissioning can be completed within 48 hours. It effectively blocks salt spray penetration and corrosion, ensuring the safety and stability of precision equipment on the rocket. It is better adapted to complex maritime operating scenarios, comprehensively improving the overall application benefits of maritime launch missions.

Because sea conditions cause ship swaying during launches, achieving precise rocket orbit insertion is as difficult as “performing surgery on a bumpy carriage.” To ensure a “bullseye” launch and guarantee rocket orbit insertion accuracy, CAS Aerospace innovatively adopted a moving base self-alignment technology. Supported by its independently developed high-precision self-alignment algorithm and flight control software, it can complete initial attitude alignment in as little as 30 minutes, achieving industry-leading algorithm accuracy.

Simultaneously, CAS Aerospace also applied a newly developed anti-tipping device, innovatively employing a “passive unlocking” mode to quickly tilt backward and reduce rocket takeoff drift. This design effectively avoids the risk of unlocking failure due to control malfunction, comprehensively enhancing the safety redundancy of sea-based launch missions.

The Lijian-1 carrier rocket will undertake CAS Aerospace’s first-ever sea-based launch mission, completing a “one rocket, three satellites” launch mission in the waters near Guangdong

I. What is the LiJian-1 Y17 Carrier Rocket ?

• Identity and positioning : The solid-propellant launch vehicle developed by CAS Space Technology is the largest solid-propellant launch vehicle currently in service in China, mainly used for the rapid networking launch of microsatellites and low-to-medium orbits.
• Key achievements : To date, it has launched 15 times, successfully sending 110 satellites into space, with a total payload mass exceeding 16 tons. It is the only civilian-commercial rocket model in China to have launched more than 100 satellites.
• Industry position : It has secured all orders in China’s civil and commercial rocket launch market, and has fully entered a new cycle driven by market demand after technology verification

 

 

II. Current Hottest Developments: First Sea Launch

• Latest milestone : On August 25, the Lijian-1 completed a joint launch and ground training exercise at sea, simulating all aspects of the launch day and conducting more than ten tests, including launch pad erection, self-alignment of the moving base, and control of the anti-tipping device.

• Mission Arrangement : The Y17 rocket is scheduled to carry out a “one rocket, three satellites” mission in the waters near Guangdong in the near future. It successfully passed the factory review on August 13
• Technical preparation : The air-supported membrane mobile insulated factory building is used to cope with the high salt spray environment, which improves the heat preservation capacity by 100% and reduces the weight by more than two-thirds; the self-developed moving base self-alignment algorithm can complete the initial attitude alignment in as little as 30 minutes

III. Subsequent Launch Plan

• Dual-track approach : Constructing a parallel pattern of “monthly scheduled launches on land and mobile special launches at sea”, with land as the main approach and sea as the supplementary approach
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• Schedule for the second half of 2026 : Remote launch of satellite 18 (September, 2 satellites launched), Remote launch of satellite 16 (October, 9 satellites launched), Remote launch of satellite 19 (November, 8 satellites launched), Remote launch of satellite 20 (December, 8 satellites launched).9
• Launch schedule : In 2026, “launches every month” has been achieved, and the total number of launches throughout the year will be significantly higher than the five launches in 2025. The Y17 launch is the fifth launch of the year.

IMAGES AND VISUALS ARE FROM THEIR RESPECTIVES.

At 1121 Hours Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time 25^th August 2026 , China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration   At 11:21 AM on August 25th, the Long March 6C carrier rocket ignited and lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending seven satellites—Zhongke Satellite 14, Zhongke Satellite 15, Muduo 1A, Muduo 1B, Jing’an Dream Star, Bayi 04, and Yinhe Aerospace Lingzhi 09 Thailand CubeSat—into their predetermined orbits. The launch mission was a complete success.

The Long March 6C carrier rocket, developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is a new generation two-stage liquid-propellant carrier rocket capable of launching various types of satellites with different orbital requirements. It can perform single or multiple satellite launches, with a payload capacity of 2.4 tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
This launch was the 665th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

At 11:21 a.m. on August 25, 2026, the Long March 6C Y1 carrier rocket was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, accurately sending seven satellites into their predetermined orbits in a “one rocket, seven satellites” manner. The maiden flight mission was a complete success, and this was also the 665th flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

 

 

I. Launch Mission Overview

• Launch time : 11:21 AM Beijing time on August 25, 2026.
• Launch site : Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
• Mission results : All seven satellites successfully entered their designated orbits, and the flight test mission was a complete success.
• Mission nature : This is the first public maiden flight of the Long March 6C carrier rocket, which successfully launched seven satellites in one go.

II. Composition of the Loading

• Seven satellites : Zhongke Satellite 14, Zhongke Satellite 15, Muduo 1A, Muduo 1B, Jing’an Dream Star, Bayi 04, and Yinhe Aerospace Lingzhi 09 Thailand CubeSat.12
• Coverage areas : encompassing multiple directions including Earth remote sensing, space scientific research, aerospace science popularization, commercial networking, and international cooperation.
• Highlight payloads : Zhongke Satellite 14 and 15 are the first two satellites in the integrated real-time remote sensing constellation of communication, sensing and computing. They are equipped with SAR payloads with imaging resolution better than 1 meter. After entering orbit, they will be connected to the “space cloud” ecosystem.

III. Double Milestone Significance

• Breakthrough in rocket design : The Long March 6C is a new generation of non-toxic and pollution-free two-stage liquid rocket with a payload capacity of 2.4 tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. It supports flexible launches of single or multiple satellites and is a versatile asset in commercial spaceflight.
• Commercial Spaceflight Going Global : In this mission, GalaxySpace’s Lingzhi 09 CubeSat in Thailand marks the first time that China’s commercial spaceflight industry has completed the development, launch, and in-orbit delivery of a complete satellite to Southeast Asia, signifying a new stage for private commercial spaceflight companies to move from exporting components to exporting complete satellite

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration

On 23  August 2026 –  CNSA –China National Space Administration   …. At. Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China Just last night (August 23), it was officially announced that the Chang’e-7 mission has missed this year’s scheduled launch window due to not meeting the launch conditions, and the next opportunity will have to wait until next year.

According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office: Based on the principles of prudence, reliability, and absolute safety, and after comprehensive assessment, the Chang’e-7 mission does not meet the launch conditions and cannot be carried out in the scheduled window this year.

I. Mission Delay: Originally scheduled for launch this week, it has now been confirmed that the launch window has been missed.

• Official announcement : On August 23, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced that, based on the principles of prudence, reliability, and absolute safety, and after comprehensive assessment, the Chang’e-7 mission does not meet the launch requirements and cannot be carried out within the scheduled launch window this year
• The original plan was for the Chang’e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket to be vertically transported to the launch area on August 19, with the launch scheduled for August 24 or
• Current status : The launch window has closed, and the mission has been postponed to next year. Further official announcements are pending

II. Reason for postponement: Typhoon approaching and a tight timeframe.

• Direct cause : Typhoon No. 19 “Zitan” lingered in the Beibu Gulf, bringing strong winds, high humidity, and other unfavorable meteorological conditions, which affected the safety of rocket launches.
•  Launch window characteristics : The lighting conditions in the lunar south polar landing area are extremely harsh, with only one optimal launch window each year in late August. If you miss it, you have to wait another year.
•  Comprehensive constraints : The launch window must simultaneously meet four major constraints: Earth-Moon transfer orbit, polar day illumination in the landing area, solar panel power supply, and the angle of reverberation. Recalculating the orbit involves an enormous amount of work.27

III. Mission Highlights: One of the most complex lunar exploration missions in history

• The Chang’e-7 mission consists of an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a flyby spacecraft, which, together with the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, achieves a four-in-one exploration mission encompassing orbiting, landing, roving, and flyby 
• Core objective : To search for water ice near Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole, with a landing site approximately 36 kilometers from the lunar south pole
• Technical Highlights : The spacecraft can leap 15 kilometers in a single bound, directly plunging into a permanently shadowed crater for in-situ exploration—a first in human lunar exploration history.
• International collaboration : The mission carried six scientific payloads from seven countries, including Thailand, Italy, Russia, Egypt, Bahrain, and Switzerland.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

On 19 August 2026 –  CNSA –China National Space Administration    …. At. Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China …… The Chang’e 7 mission spacecraft and rocket combination has completed vertical transport and is scheduled for launch soon.
Beijing time, August 19, 2026, the Chang’e7 probe and the Long March 5 Y14 carrier rocket completed relevant work in the technical area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, and the spacecraft and rocket combination has been vertically transported to the launch area.

The Chang’e 7 probe and the Long March 5 Y14 carrier rocket arrived at the launch site in April and July respectively, and have successively completed assembly, testing, and other preparations. Currently, the launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition, and subsequent pre-launch functional checks, joint tests, propellant loading, and other work will be carried out as planned, with launch scheduled for soon .

Chang’e-7 Mission Vehicle and Rocket Assembly Completed Vertical Transfer, Launch Scheduled Soon..

On August 19, 2026, Beijing time, the Chang’e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket completed relevant work in the technical area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, and the vehicle and rocket assembly has been vertically transferred to the launch area.

The Chang’e-7 probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket arrived at the launch site in April and July respectively, and have successively completed assembly, testing, and other preparatory work. Currently, the launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition, and subsequent pre-launch functional checks, joint tests, and propellant loading will be carried out as planned, with launch scheduled for the near future.

 The Chang’e-7 probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket were vertically transported to the launch area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site today (August 19). The launch is scheduled to take place in the coming days, marking the final sprint stage of my country’s lunar exploration program’s fourth phase of lunar south pole exploration

I. The launch mission has entered the pre-launch phase.

• Latest update : On the morning of August 19, the Chang’e-7 spacecraft and rocket combination completed its vertical transfer and was officially moved from the technical area to the launch area, marking the start of the critical countdown phase of the launch process.
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• Preliminary preparations : The probe arrived at the Wenchang launch site in April and the Long March 5 Y14 rocket in July, respectively, and all preparations, including final assembly and testing, were completed.
• Current status : The launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition. Subsequent pre-launch functional checks, joint tests, propellant loading, and other tasks will be carried out as planned

I. The mission is to head straight to the lunar south pole to find water ice.

• Core objective : To conduct exploration of the lunar south pole environment and resources using a comprehensive exploration approach that includes orbiting, landing, roving, and flyby, with a focus on finding potential water ice resources within permanently shadowed craters.@USTCHuBugui4
• Landing area : The planned landing site is the South Pole-Aitken Basin above 85° south latitude on the moon. This area contains a large number of permanently shadowed craters that never see sunlight, and the temperature at the bottom of the craters can be as low as -230°C, which is considered by the scientific community to be very likely to contain water ice.
• Significance of the breakthrough : Chang’e-7 is expected to make China the first country in the world to directly find water on the moon, providing key resource data for the subsequent construction of lunar research stations and manned lunar landing
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III. Many cutting-edge technologies will be tested in real combat.

• High-precision soft landing : Breakthrough in sub-100-meter lunar soft landing technology to cope with the rugged and complex terrain of Antarctica.
• Innovations of the spacecraft : The world’s first lunar surface probe capable of multiple autonomous jumps, capable of flying into permanently shadowed craters to drill about 1 meter deep into lunar soil and analyze water ice content in situ.6
• Legged walking : The lunar rover adopts a six-legged bionic leg design to adapt to the complex terrain of Antarctica and has a stronger obstacle-crossing ability

The Chang’e-7 mission is the third mission in the fourth phase of China’s lunar exploration program, following the Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-6 missions. It plans to conduct a comprehensive exploration of the lunar near-antarctic region, encompassing orbiting, landing, roving, and flyby. The pre-selected landing area is the South Pole-Aitken Basin region above 85°S latitude on the Moon. The mission plans to conduct environmental and resource surveys in the lunar near-antarctic region, including exploration of the lunar surface environment, lunar regolith, water ice, and volatile components. It will acquire remote sensing and in-situ scientific data from the entire Moon, the landing area, and the roving area, and lay the foundation for the construction of a lunar research station.

The Chang’e-7 mission mainly consists of four parts: an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a flyby. Compared to the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 probes, in terms of structure, Chang’e-7 reduced the return capsule and ascent vehicle, and added the rover and flyby (which are of scientific significance); in terms of function, while the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 probes focused on sample return, the Chang’e-7 mission emphasizes scientific exploration and research.

The Chang’e-7 orbiter carried payloads including the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSMC), the Lunar Neutron Gamma Spectrometer (LNGS), the Wideband Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging Analyzer (WISMIA), the Lunar Circumferential Magnetometer (LOM), and the Lunar Microwave Imaging Radar (MSAR), operating in a near-lunar polar orbit at an altitude of 200 kilometers for lunar remote sensing. The lander carried payloads including the Seismometer (LS), the Lunar Surface Environment Detection System (LSEDS), the Landing Camera (LC), and the Topography Camera (TC) for in-situ lunar surface environment detection. The rover carried payloads including the Panoramic Camera (PC), the Lunar Surface Magnetometer (RM), the Lunar Regolith Volatile Matter Analyzer (IsMSV), the Lunar Raman Spectrometer (LRS), and the Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) for multi-directional detection of the exploration area. The flyby carried payloads including the Lunar Regolith Water Molecular Analyzer (LSWMA) for flyby to permanently shadowed craters to conduct water ice drilling and analysis.

The Long March 5 rocket used in this mission is a large cryogenic liquid-fueled launch vehicle with a two-and-a-half-stage tandem configuration. The core stage consists of a 5-meter diameter hydrogen-oxygen stage and a core stage composed of two core stages connected in series. The booster stage has four 3.35-meter diameter liquid oxygen/kerosene boosters bundled together with the core stage. This rocket is primarily used for launches into medium and high Earth orbit and deep space, and is one of the rocket models used by China for the most deep space launches.

The Long March 5 rocket is 56.97 meters tall (with a 5.2-meter diameter short fairing), with a core stage diameter of 5 meters. It has a liftoff mass of approximately 877 tons and a liftoff thrust of 1068 tons. Its payload capacity to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is no less than 14 tons, to lunar transfer orbit (TLI) no less than 8.35 tons, and to Earth-Mars transfer orbit (TMI) no less than 5.2 tons. This particular rocket is equipped with a 5.2-meter diameter, 12.267-meter height short/standard fairing. Currently, the Long March 5 is the most powerful deep-space launch rocket in Asia.

Since its successful maiden flight on November 3, 2016, the Long March 5 has carried out 11 launch missions, including 3 deep space launches. On November 3, 2026, the Long March 5 will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its maiden flight. With its powerful carrying capacity and continuous and stable launch performance, it remains irreplaceable in medium and high Earth orbit and deep space missions.

It is expected that the Chang’e-7 probe will be launched into space by the Long March 5 Y14 carrier rocket as early as the morning of August 24. Subsequently, the Chang’e-7 probe combination will be sent into the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, starting China’s first deep space exploration mission this year.

Meanwhile, the Chang’e-7 mission is also a major deep-space exploration mission of the year, its importance lying not only in the size of the probe and the diversity of its exploration methods, but also in its laying the foundation for the construction of a lunar research station, further supporting the Chang’e-8 mission in this area. According to the plan, China will complete the basic structure of its lunar research station by 2030 and expand it into an international joint base (International Lunar Research Station) by 2035.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration

深蓝航天  Deep Blue Limited – Deep Blue Aerospace  Landspace One of sixty Chinese private space Carrier Rocket Companies in China-People’s Republic of China…  As many of sixty plus Private Rocket Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. was established in 2017. The company is mainly a high-tech aerospace enterprise that focuses on the direction of liquid recovery and reusable launch vehicles and provides users with commercial launch services. Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. At the same time, the company has rocket general and liquid engine R&D centers in Yizhuang, Beijing and Xi’an, Shaanxi, respectively, and a rocket power system test base in Tongchuan, Shaanxi…..

China’s Landspace – China, People’s Republic of China has commercially  successfully carried out its first land-based recovery of a reusable launch vehicle.

At 7:35 AM on August 19, 2026, the Zhuque-3 Y2 carrier rocket was launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone. At 7:41 AM, the first stage of the rocket successfully completed its land recovery according to the predetermined procedure, marking a complete success for the mission. This mission represents my country’s first successful controlled land recovery of a reusable carrier rocket’s first stage using landing legs, following the successful recovery of the Long March-10B carrier rocket’s first stage sea-based landing system on July 10. This achievement signifies a major breakthrough in my country’s reusable rocket technology.

The silver and red “Vermilion Bird” descended through the clouds. At a height of 100 meters above the ground, its four landing outriggers suddenly extended, gripping the earth like giant pincers.

At 7:44 a.m., after a flight of 390 kilometers, the first stage of the Zhuque-3 Y2 carrier rocket landed steadily at the Minqin Rocket Recovery Site in Gansu Province.

The Zhuque rocket successfully returned to its nest! China’s first successful vertical recovery and land-based landing of the first-stage landing leg of an orbital-class carrier rocket!

This marks a new chapter in China’s commercial space program: the rocket independently developed by the private company LandSpace has been successfully recovered, and its payload has been successfully placed into orbit, laying a solid technical foundation for my country to build a high-frequency, low-cost, and highly reliable space transportation system.

8 minutes and 41 seconds—the short flight of the Zhuque (Vermilion Bird) encapsulates eleven years of exploration by China’s commercial space industry, from “catching up” to “running alongside” the world.

The footage is replayed, counting from the beginning.

At 7:35 a.m., with the countdown of “ten, nine, eight…”, nine liquid oxygen methane engines ignited simultaneously, and the Zhuque rocket rose into the sky.

The Zhuque-3 launch vehicle is a new generation of low-cost, high-capacity, high-frequency, reusable liquid oxygen-methane launch vehicle approved by the China National Space Administration, and developed by LandSpace Technology Co., Ltd. The rocket adopts a single-core, two-stage tandem configuration, with stainless steel as the primary material. It is powered entirely by liquid oxygen-methane, has a total length of 66.1 meters, a first and second stage diameter of 4.5 meters, and a fairing diameter of 5.2 meters. The first stage is equipped with a return control system, grid fins, and landing legs, enabling vertical recovery and reuse after orbital launch.

During the mission, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) organized the entire engineering team to thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions and instructions on accelerating the construction of a space power, resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, innovate organizational models, attract commercial space companies to participate in major national missions, continuously support key technology breakthroughs, conduct special quality and safety inspections, and steadily and efficiently organize and promote the mission, ensuring the complete success of the Zhuque-3 reusable launch vehicle’s return-to-space mission. Next, the CNSA will continue to promote the engineering application of reusable launch vehicles in my country, effectively enhancing my country’s ability to access space with large capacity, low cost, and high frequency.

At this moment, Man Haifeng, general manager of Beichen Aerospace, stared intently at the fierce red flames spewing from the tail of the Zhuque. The pressurization and delivery system, which his team helped design, is like a smooth “blood vessel,” responsible for stably and reliably delivering the propellant in the tanks to the engine, allowing the Zhuque to flap its wings steadily.

Three years of hardship, countless emotions. Man Haifeng was at a loss for words. “Connecting hundreds of small pipes into a smooth ‘main artery’ required an extremely complex and meticulous design. In order to find the optimal solution, we scrapped and started over hundreds of times.”

At 7:38 a.m., after sending the second stage of the rocket into space, the Zhuque rocket returned shortly afterward. Its four grid fins spread like wings, the attitude control system emitted cool air, the engine adjusted its thrust, and the rocket precisely glided down along the coordinates.

“Rapid response and smooth control!” Zhang Yunlong, Minister of Marketing at Qingdao Zhiteng Microelectronics, clapped his hands. “We made hundreds of sensors and converters for Zhuque, and we can monitor its operating status in detail, just like sensory nerves.”

In its early years, Zhiteng developed “deep-sea nerves” for oil exploration at depths of tens of thousands of meters on the seabed. In 2015, it shifted its focus to serving commercial aerospace. After more than a decade of dedicated research, the 27-person R&D team has finally honed the two instruments that are located throughout the rocket body to the sharpness of an eagle’s eye.

At 7:44 a.m., the crowd watching from afar erupted in cheers for the steadily standing “divine bird” Vermilion Bird.

Wu Shufan, co-founder of LandSpace, academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, and professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, received a constant stream of congratulatory messages on WeChat.

“The recovery of the Zhuque satellite has reduced launch costs by orders of magnitude. The cost of launching a 1-kilogram satellite is expected to drop to 20,000 yuan.” He said, barely containing his excitement, “Rocket recovery technology is the jewel of the world’s aerospace industry. Blue Arrow spent a full 11 years to finally bring it to fruition.”

In the eyes of Commander-in-Chief Dai Zheng, the “divine” aspect of the Vermilion Bird goes far beyond its reusability—it signifies that China is fully capable of establishing a complete core technology chain and industrial foundation encompassing design, manufacturing, launch, and recovery.

“To get your own perfect score, you have to write out the solution yourself,” Dai Zheng said.

The morning light was still thick, and life was beginning to emerge on the Gobi Desert.

The Vermilion Bird, which had been standing upright, slowly lay down to undergo a “physical examination” in order to ensure that it could still fly “spirited and free” in the next flight.

As designed, it can take off multiple times. If it passes the “physical examination,” Zhuque will return to the launch site soon .

I. Core Breakthrough: First Orbit-Level Land Recovery

The Zhuque-3 Y2 mission achieved three “firsts” for China’s space program:

• Landing leg recovery : This marks the first time China has successfully recovered the first stage of a carrier rocket using landing legs, a departure from the previous Long March 10B’s method of using a net-like capture system on a sea platform.
• Orbital-stage recovery : This is China’s first carrier rocket to successfully enter orbit and achieve land recovery. The first stage returned from an altitude of over 100 kilometers and landed precisely on a 60-meter by 60-meter landing pad.
• A first for a private company : LandSpace has thus become the first private aerospace company in China to successfully recover the first stage of a liquid rocket.

II. Technical Approach: Practical Application of Reusing Liquid Oxygen, Methane, and Stainless Steel

The Zhuque-3 rocket adopted a hardware combination adapted for high-frequency reuse, thereby verifying the engineering feasibility of the “liquid oxygen and methane propellant + stainless steel rocket body structure + vertical recovery of landing legs” technology chain

• The rocket is 66.1 meters long and has a liftoff mass of approximately 570 tons. Its core stage is constructed from low-cost, high-temperature-resistant stainless steel. The liquid oxygen and methane fuel does not easily accumulate carbon after combustion, and the engine is easier to maintain after recovery, making it more suitable for reuse.
• During recovery, the first stage undergoes a series of processes: altitude attitude control, reentry ignition deceleration, aerodynamic gliding control, and final landing ignition. Its key component, the titanium alloy grid fin, acts as the “aerodynamic steering wheel” for the return phase, responsible for precise attitude control of the rocket

III. Economic Overview: The Era of 20,000 Yuan Per Kilogram

Successful recovery opens the door to significantly reducing rocket launch costs:

• The first stage accounts for about 70% of the hardware cost of a liquid rocket. If it can be reused, the hardware depreciation cost per launch will be greatly reduced.
• The first stage of the Zhuque-3 rocket is designed to be reused at least 20 times, with the goal of reducing the launch cost per kilogram to below 20,000 RMB, a reduction of 70% to 90% compared to traditional expendable rockets. This low-cost launch capability is crucial for the future networking of tens of thousands of low-Earth orbit satellite

IMAGES AND VISUALS ARE FROM THEIR RESPECTIVES.