The race to launch China’s first reusable rocket is heating up, with three contenders now lined up at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the country’s northwest for flights that could make history.
Both the Long March 12A and Zhuque-3 are aiming for December lift-offs that will try to reach orbit and bring their first stages back to Earth about 400km downrange. Tianlong-3 is also designed for reuse, but is not expected to attempt a landing on its debut flight.
The Long March 12A is aiming for a December launch. Photo: Handout
A Beijing-based rocket engineer familiar with the matter said the Long March 12A’s technical readiness was “on par” with Zhuque-3’s. But he said there had been “internal considerations” about which rocket should get the historic first attempt.
“Pulling off China’s first rocket landing would be huge,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “State-owned contractors may try to leverage their influence to go first.”
In October, LandSpace announced that Zhuque-3 had completed fuelling rehearsals and a full-duration engine firing at Jiuquan. Its launch was later delayed after the Tiangong space station’s debris incident in early November, and moved to the final weekend of the month.
“But it has been postponed again,” the source said.
Meanwhile, photos shared by space enthusiasts on social media show the Long March 12A being rolled out and raised on the pad, apparently in preparation for a major engine test.