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New Delhi. China has claimed to have made a major achievement in the field of reusable rocket technology. China's private space company (LandSpace) successfully landed the booster of its (Zhuque-3) rocket back on the ground after sending it to space. With this achievement, the company has become one of the few private companies that have acquired the technology to land large rocket boosters back from space.

This technology has long been an area dominated by American companies. In such a situation, the success of LandSpace is being seen as an important progress for China's private space sector.

Why is landing the rocket back such a big task?

Safely reusing a rocket's booster after launch is considered very important in reducing the cost of space missions.

A large portion of conventional rockets become unusable after one mission. In contrast, reusable boosters can be used again. From this:

There is less need to build a new rocket for every launch.
The cost of satellite launch may decrease.
Multiple missions can be conducted with a single rocket.
The commercial space industry may expand rapidly.

This is the reason why this achievement of China is being considered an important step in its increasing space competition with America.

Zhuque-3 is 66.1 meters long

According to Chinese state media, the 66.1-meter-long Zhuque-3 was launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China.

9 engines are installed in the first stage of the rocket. After launch, the booster was returned to the landing site in Gansu province, about 390 kilometers to the southeast.

It is reported that this was an important test towards the successful landing of Zhuque-3's reusable booster.

How different is the technology from SpaceX's Falcon 9?

LandSpace has used stainless steel in Zhuque-3. The company claims that this material is capable of withstanding extreme heat and can make the construction of rockets relatively cheap under some circumstances.

Methane and liquid oxygen are used as fuel in Zhuque-3. In contrast, SpaceX's Falcon 9 uses liquid oxygen and kerosene based fuel.

However, Falcon 9 is still ahead in terms of capacity. According to LandSpace, Zhuque-3 can deliver up to 14.2 tons of payload into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a single use, while Falcon 9's capacity is said to be around 22.8 tons.

LandSpace's big goal – to be used 20 times

LandSpace's ambitions are not limited to just landing the booster. The company aims to reuse Zhuque-3's booster up to 20 times.

If the company successfully achieves this, it can help in reducing launch costs and increasing competition in the commercial space market.

China is still far behind SpaceX

China may have made great achievements in the field of reusable rockets, but SpaceX's experience and launch scale is still far ahead. Falcon 9's booster has been successfully landed and reused several times.

The launch frequency of SpaceX is also very high. The company conducts a large number of Falcon 9 missions a year and its boosters have flown multiple times.

Therefore, it would be better to consider LandSpace's achievement as a sign of the rapid progress of China's private space industry rather than as a comparison to SpaceX.

New front in China-America space race

Reusable rocket technology can become an important basis of space business in the coming years. China is already rapidly promoting the government space program as well as private companies in this field.

The successful booster landing of Zhuque-3 clearly shows that China is now preparing to present a serious challenge in the reusable launch market dominated by American companies. However, it is too early to say whether America's current advantage has ended.