---
title: Reusable Rockets
type: technology
url: "https://www.envisioning.com/research/apogee/china__reusable-rockets"
hub: apogee
summary: "LandSpace's Zhuque-3 reached orbit in December 2025 but failed its landing attempt — one of 4+ Chinese reusable rockets expected to fly in 2026"
---

# Reusable Rockets

LandSpace's Zhuque-3 reached orbit in December 2025 but failed its landing attempt — one of 4+ Chinese reusable rockets expected to fly in 2026
- Technology Readiness Level: 5/9
- Impact: 2/5
- Investment: 5/5
China's commercial space sector has 150+ private companies and attracted 187 investment rounds in 2025 (versus 139 in the US). LandSpace, Space Pioneer, Galactic Energy, and the state-owned Long March program are all developing Falcon 9-style reusable boosters.

Zhuque-3's orbital success (if not its landing) proved that Chinese rockets can reach orbit with reusable-capable hardware. Space Pioneer's Tianlong-3 and Long March-12A are expected to attempt similar flights in 2026. The pace of iteration is accelerating.

The gap with SpaceX remains large: Falcon 9 has landed over 300 times. But China's approach is parallel development — multiple companies attempting different solutions simultaneously, funded by both government and private capital. Even if each individual program progresses slowly, the portfolio approach increases the odds of a breakthrough.

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Source: Envisioning — Technology Research Institute (https://www.envisioning.com/research/apogee/china__reusable-rockets)