China's independently developed Zhuque-3 reusable rocket has completed ground tests on its systems and will take its maiden flight in the fourth quarter of the year, aiming to become the country's first vertically recoverable liquid-fueled rocket, according to the rocket's developer LandSpace.
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.
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 a combined thrust of more than 7,500 kilonewtons, setting a new record for Chinese commercial liquid-fueled rockets.
Last Friday, LandSpace conducted a crucial ground ignition test of the first-stage propulsion system at the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The 45-second test utilized a first-stage structure that is consistent with the technical status of the Zhuque-3's maiden flight mission and validated the compatibility among all major subsystems, according to LandSpace.
LandSpace is a leading Chinese private space company. Its Zhuque-2 is the first methane-fueled rocket to be launched into rocket.
The successful Zhuque-3 development marks a significant stride in the pursuit of low-cost, high-frequency, and large-capacity space launches for China's private space industry.
China’s reusable rocket Zhuque-3 to take maiden flight this year
