Rocket reverses? China achieves an unprecedented feat by returning the propellant and landing on dry land; VIDEO

Chinese startup LandSpace achieved an unprecedented feat this Wednesday (19): it recovered and landed backwards, on dry land, the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket. See the video below: China makes rocket land "in reverse" on solid ground According to a Reuters report, with the maneuver, the company became the first private Chinese company to carry out this type of landing of an orbital-class propellant, bringing the country closer to reusable rocket technology dominated by American companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. The ability to return, recover and reuse a propellant is critical to reducing costs and facilitating the launch of satellites into orbit, transforming space exploration into a commercially viable business, similar to civil aviation. The feat occurred in LandSpace's second attempt to land the first stage of Zhuque-3, a stainless steel rocket equipped with nine engines and presented by the company as China's answer to SpaceX's Falcon 9. Standing 66.1 meters tall, Zhuque-3 took off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China. The first stage — also called a booster — returned to a landing area in Gansu province, about 390 kilometers southeast of the launch pad, according to Chinese state media. China makes rocket land "in reverse" on solid ground Reproduction The landing should increase investor confidence as LandSpace advances in its plans to go public on the STAR Market, the technology segment of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Reuters wrote in its report. The company intends to raise 7.5 billion yuan (US$1.11 billion or R$5.73 billion) in an initial public offering of shares to finance the development and expand its reusable rocket launch services. In June, the company submitted an updated version of the IPO prospectus to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. In the document, it stated that it aims to become profitable by 2029. Fourth attempt Wednesday's launch marked China's fourth attempt to recover an orbital-class rocket booster. LandSpace made history in December 2025 by becoming the first Chinese company to test a reusable rocket. The rocket entered orbit as planned, but its first stage was unable to complete a controlled landing. Weeks later, China launched the state-developed Long March 12A, which also reached orbit but failed to recover the first stage. In July, China successfully carried out an experimental propellant recovery test using a net capture system installed on an offshore platform. With this, it became only the second country to land an orbital-class rocket. Unlike rockets equipped with retractable landing legs, the reusable Long March 10B uses four lightweight hooks to connect to steel cables installed in the platform's mesh system. According to Beijing, the innovation simplifies the rocket's structure, reduces its weight and increases its payload capacity. With Wednesday's landing, LandSpace carried out the first successful ground recovery, with leg landing, of an orbital-class booster in China. The company plans to reuse a recovered first stage over the next six months. According to LandSpace, the test will be an important step in establishing a foundation for future high-frequency, low-cost commercial launches.