Demo Flight

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Test Flight

Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 96B Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
ZQ-3 F1 - Zhuque-3 Landing Site

First test launch of LandSpace’s ZQ-3 rocket, with a dummy payload. The rocket’s 1st stage attempted to land on a landing pad about 300 km downrange of the launch site.

Updates


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 2, 2025, 1:59 a.m.

NET December 3 per NOTAMs.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 3, 2025, 6:20 a.m.

Launch success, first stage failed to land.


Zhuque-3

Family:
Configuration:

Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) is a reusable orbital launch vehicle developed by Chinese private company LandSpace. The rocket is built using stainless steel and shares the same series of gas generator cycle methane/liquid oxygen powered rocket engines as in the currently active ZQ-2E rocket. The first stage uses 9 TQ-12 engines (initially the TQ-12A, then upgraded TQ-12B) while the second stage uses 1 TQ-15 engine (TQ-15A, then TQ-15B). On launch missions where the first stage is recovered, it will land on a down-range landing pad located in Minqin County, Gansu Province.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    76.6 m
  • Diameter
    4.5 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    660.0 T
  • Thrust
    9000.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Zhuque-3
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
    ZQ-3
  • Full Name
    Zhuque-3
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    21300.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Booster Info


ZQ-3 F1


Type: Core
Flight Proven: No
First Flight: December 3, 2025
Last Flight: December 3, 2025
Flights: 1
Landings Attempted: 1

Landing Information

The Zhuque-3 first stage booster executed its re-entry burn normally, but the landing burn was abnormal and the booster crashed next to its downrange landing pad on its landing attempt.

Result: ZQ-3 F1 did not land successfully.

LandSpace

LandSpace

(LS)

Founder: Zhang Changwu Founded: 2015 Successes: 5 Failures: 3 Pending: 1

Agency Type:

LandSpace is a Chinese private space launch company based in Beijing. It was founded in 2015 by Tsinghua University alumni Zhang Changwu.

WIKI

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 96B


Falcon 9
Go
1 day, 11 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-35
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Go
1 day, 22 hours ago
Starlink Group 10-58
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz-5
TBC
1 day, 23 hours ago
Demo Flight
45/1 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Demonstration Flight for Russia's new Soyuz-5 launch vehicle, with a mass simulator on board. Details TBD.


Space Launch System (SLS)
Go
2 days, 11 hours ago
Artemis II
Launch Complex 39B - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Artemis II is the first crewed mission as part of the Artemis program. Artemis II will send a crew of 4 - 3 Americans and 1 Canadian around the moon …


Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat-M
Go
3 days, 8 hours ago
Meridian-M No.21L
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity uncertain. Meridian is a series of communications satellite for military and civilian use.


Zhuque-2E
TBD
4 days, 10 hours ago
Unknown Payload
Launch Area 96A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Details TBD.


Tianlong-3
TBD
4 days, 10 hours ago
Demo Flight
Tianlong-3 Launch Pad - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

First test launch of Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 rocket. Reports indicate this launch may carry a batch of satellites for the SpaceSail/G60/Qianfan LE…


Falcon 9
Go
4 days, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 10-44
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Go
4 days, 23 hours ago
Transporter 16 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.


Kinetica 2
Go
4 days, 23 hours ago
Qingzhou Spacecraft Demo Flight
Launch Area 140 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

First test launch and mission of CAS Space’s Kinetica-2 rocket and Qingzhou cargo resupply spacecraft for future cargo transport to the Chinese Tiang…