ZQ-3 Y1 rocket took off for maiden flight from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone at noon time on December 3, 2025. Photo: courtesy of LandSpace

China launched a reusable carrier rocket Zhuque-3 on Wednesday from northwest China. The second stage of this rocket entered the designated orbit, but the recovery of its first stage failed. Despite the setback in the booster landing, the mission marked China's first orbital flight of a liquid-propellant reusable rocket, instantly igniting global online enthusiasm.  

LandSpace, the private commercial space firm that developed the Zhuque-3, has found itself among wide supporting and encouraging comments. 

Commenting under an X post of the launch footage, Jhon Paul, a former Indian Space Research Organisation scientist turned entrepreneur, wrote that "In rocketry, just like in life, success and failure are both integral to progress. Every mission — whether it achieves all objectives or not — creates opportunities to simulate real conditions, revealing deeper insights into the parameters that ultimately shape success. The learning never stops."

@AlanMyron from the US also left a comment under the same video post saying that "you guys will figure it out." 

X user @NonGMOPureBlood wrote in their comment that "Good job with the successful steps. More reusable rockets are good for everyone regardless of country of origin."

@Kamleshbadhhi, who describes himself as an Indian political writer in the profile, wrote that "Ambitious as it was, Zhuque-3 proved once again that reusable rocketry is as difficult as it sounds." He noted that "China pushed hard. Engineered stainless-steel, methane-fueled, booster-return, orbital-class the works. But even this couldn't beat the complex physics of controlled descent & landing."

Omar Pimentel, who leads the Cyberspace and Space Program at the Cyber Policy Dialogue for the Americas, acknowledged in his X post that "Zhuque-3 first-stage appears to have had a failure on descent. Accurate return trajectory, but first stage RUD. Impressive to say the least. If they attained orbit off the second-stage burn, this is a massive milestone."

"China is without a doubt on the heels of @SpaceX and @blueorigin. Note: This is just 1 of over a dozen similar reusable orbital launch vehicles in development in China," said the US commercial space expert. 

NASA Space Flight, a US space news site, covered the ZQ-3 launch and wrote that with LandSpace having come within meters of success on its very first try, and at least two more Falcon-class reusable rockets scheduled to fly in the coming months, 2026 is poised to be a defining year for commercial spaceflight - not just in the US, but across the Pacific as well."

"The new space race is no longer just about reaching orbit; it's about who can get there cheapest and most often. China has clearly taken notice," read the article. 

The NSF also posted a video of the launch on its Youtube account BreakingSpace under the title "Chinese Falcon 9-size Rocket ALMOST Lands on First Attempt!" 

Among the 400 comments below the post, some were obviously joking about the failed landing, saying that "great efforts, smashed after the landing too."

But there are also supporting voices. @sailingadventurer left comment that "People in this comment section don't realize how big of an achievement this is for a company, just because it's Chinese lol. Delivering a payload to orbit and doing a controlled re-entry on the first try with a Falcon 9 sized rocket is an achievement. Yes, the landing failed, but they came very close to nailing it. And yeah it's not a Temu Falcon 9, it's a Methalox rocket with Stainless steel body, as opposed to Falcon 9's kerolox & aluminium body." The post gathered over 300 likes, including one from the NSF itself, topping the chart.

@KeyboardMoment, also wrote "I can't articulate how much I love this development in spaceflight. Too many people are denouncing this launch vehicle just because it's Chinese. I see this a huge win for widespread introduction of reusability beyond simply SpaceX and the broader lowering of costs in orbit that will one day allow normal civilians to send something or even themselves into outer space. Let the era of widespread reusability begin."

Global Times