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

Chinese privately-owned space company LandSpace said at a recent meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space that the company plans to conduct another recovery test of its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket in the second quarter of this year.

LandSpace has drawn growing attention for its technological advances. According to Xinhua News Agency, the company successfully launched the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket on December 3. The rocket's second stage managed to enter the designated orbit, but recovery of its first stage failed.

The company revealed to attendees at the COPUOS meeting that it is optimizing the satellite's landing process and plans to conduct another recovery test in the second quarter of 2026. It aims to attempt the first recovery and reuse flight in the fourth quarter, depending on the results of that test.

A company representative confirmed the plan of the launch with the Global Times on Wednesday, adding that the rocket to be used in the upcoming test is of the same configuration as the one used in the December launch, albeit with some fine-tuning based on data from that mission.

Asked about the purpose of the launch, the representative said it was a "routine mission." Should the second quarter test be a success, the recovery and reuse flight in the fourth quarter will use the recovered first stage, the person said.

In a previous interview in December, Dong Kai, deputy chief designer of the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket, told the Global Times that the rocket is likely to achieve a successful recovery by mid-2026, with plans to evolve into its "full configuration" within the year.

After that, the company's research and development focus will shift toward shortening the launch cycle and increasing launch frequency, Dong said.

LandSpace is seeking an initial public offering (IPO) with a market valuation of roughly $1.1 billion on Shanghai's tech-focused STAR Market, with the exchange having begun reviewing its application, news portal Caixin reported in January.

If successful, the company could become the first Chinese commercial rocket maker to go public, according to Caixin.

Zhuque-3 is a homegrown liquid oxygen-methane-powered rocket engineered for low-cost, high-capacity and frequent launches.

China has been making steady progress in reusable rocket recovery.

On February 13, China completed its first maritime recovery of a rocket booster, with the first stage of a Long March-10 carrier rocket retrieved from the sea. The milestone marked an advancement of reusable launch vehicles technologies, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the China Manned Space Agency.