The achievement came shortly after China"s Long March-10B reusable rocket successfully completed its maiden flight and a sea-based recovery test on July 10, marking a wave of breakthroughs in reusable launch technology. The parallel progress of state-owned and private aerospace players through different technical approaches is creating a dual-track development landscape for China"s future low-cost and high-frequency space transportation, some aerospace experts told the Global Times.

　　

　　Photos: Courtesy of Landspace

　　Designed to fly again

　　Unlike traditional expendable rockets, which are discarded after a single mission, reusable launch vehicles are designed around an entirely different concept: a rocket should not only complete a launch, but also return safely and be prepared for future missions.

　　According to LandSpace, for conventional expendable liquid launch vehicles, the rocket itself represents the majority of launch costs, while fuel expenses generally account for only 1-3 percent. The first stage typically makes up about 70 percent of the total rocket cost. As a result, repeated reuse of rockets - particularly the first stage - can significantly lower launch costs by amortizing the cost of the vehicle over multiple missions. For partially reusable rockets that reuse the first stage while discarding the second stage, the cost advantage becomes increasingly evident as the number of reuse cycles grows.

　　The Zhuque-3 is a reusable liquid oxygen-methane launch vehicle independently developed by Beijing-based private aerospace firm LandSpace for future large satellite constellation deployment missions, according to the company"s statement.