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China-Reusable Rocket/Maiden Flight Preparation
Northwest China - Oct 18-20, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of ignition test for rocket in progress
2. Rocket experts working
Northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Rocket being transferred
4. Rocket on launch pad
Preparation for the maiden flight of China's reusable rocket Zhuque-3 has entered a critical phase after the completion of joint fueling drills and static ignition tests from Saturday to Monday.
The successful tests also laid the groundwork for the rocket's official launch and first-stage recovery later this year.
With a diameter of 4.5 meters and a total length of around 66 meters, the Zhuque-3 rocket can carry up to 18 satellites per launch, making it an ideal choice for launching satellites for large-scale constellation networks.
Equipped with landing legs and grid fins for controlled descent, the rocket is designed to vertically recover its most expensive component -- the first stage, which accounts for 70 percent of the total rocket cost.
As its first stage is designed to be reused at least 20 times, the rocket has the potential to reduce launch costs by 80 to 90 percent compared with single-use rockets.
Powered by a parallel cluster of nine liquid oxygen-methane engines, the first-stage can achieve meter-level landing precision, as five of the engines are capable of gimballing.
In addition, these engines produce a combined thrust of more than 7,500 kilonewtons, setting a new record for Chinese commercial liquid-fueled rockets.
LandSpace, the rocket's developer, is a leading Chinese private space company.
China-Reusable Rocket/Maiden Flight Preparation
Dateline : Oct 18-20, 2025
Location : China
Duration : 0'46
Northwest China - Oct 18-20, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of ignition test for rocket in progress
2. Rocket experts working
Northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Rocket being transferred
4. Rocket on launch pad
Preparation for the maiden flight of China's reusable rocket Zhuque-3 has entered a critical phase after the completion of joint fueling drills and static ignition tests from Saturday to Monday.
The successful tests also laid the groundwork for the rocket's official launch and first-stage recovery later this year.
With a diameter of 4.5 meters and a total length of around 66 meters, the Zhuque-3 rocket can carry up to 18 satellites per launch, making it an ideal choice for launching satellites for large-scale constellation networks.
Equipped with landing legs and grid fins for controlled descent, the rocket is designed to vertically recover its most expensive component -- the first stage, which accounts for 70 percent of the total rocket cost.
As its first stage is designed to be reused at least 20 times, the rocket has the potential to reduce launch costs by 80 to 90 percent compared with single-use rockets.
Powered by a parallel cluster of nine liquid oxygen-methane engines, the first-stage can achieve meter-level landing precision, as five of the engines are capable of gimballing.
In addition, these engines produce a combined thrust of more than 7,500 kilonewtons, setting a new record for Chinese commercial liquid-fueled rockets.
LandSpace, the rocket's developer, is a leading Chinese private space company.
ID : 8449836
Published : 2025-10-20 22:11
Last Modified : 2025-10-21 20:59:31
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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