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.