The static fire<\/a> \u2014 a common prelaunch trial in which a rocket fires its engines while remaining anchored to the pad \u2014 capped the three-day “first phase” of Zhuque-3’s maiden flight campaign, according to LandSpace.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \n The Chinese company LandSpace conducts a static fire test with its reusable Zhuque-3 rocket on Oct. 20, 2025. (Image credit: Landspace)<\/p>\n That phase also included a fueling test, which, like the static fire, took place in the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwestern China.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The vehicle will next proceed with planned vertical integration rehearsal, before returning to the technical zone for inspection and maintenance in preparation for its upcoming orbital launch and first-stage recovery,” LandSpace said via X<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n Zhuque-3 looks a lot like SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9<\/a> rocket, which also features a reusable first stage and an expendable upper stage. Like the Falcon 9, Zhuque-3’s booster is powered by nine engines \u2014 in this case, Tianque-12As, which LandSpace developed in house.<\/p>\n The Tianque-12A employs liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants \u2014 a key difference with the Falcon 9, whose Merlin engines burn LOX and rocket-grade kerosene. (SpaceX<\/a>‘s next-gen Raptor engine, which powers its Starship<\/a> megarocket, uses LOX and liquid methane.)<\/p>\n The 217-foot-tall (66 meters) Zhuque-3 can haul about 40,350 pounds (18,300 kilograms) to low Earth orbit<\/a> (LEO). That’s in roughly the same ballpark as the Falcon 9, whose LEO payload capacity is 50,265 pounds (22,800 kg).<\/p>\n Monday’s static fire was the latest in a series of significant milestones for the Zhuque-3. For example, LandSpace performed low-altitude launch and landing tests<\/a> with the vehicle last year, and it conducted a static fire this past June<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KDzjcBvgKuNJDYEDiNXZ8T.jpg\")
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