LandSpace launches upgraded methane-powered Zhuque-2E rocket from China, placing six satellites into orbit and advancing reusable rocket technology.
 |
| LandSpace successfully launches upgraded methane-fueled Zhuque-2E rocket, deploying six satellites and moving closer to reusable spaceflight goals. Image: LandSpace |
BEIJING, China – May 17, 2025:
Chinese private aerospace firm LandSpace achieved another milestone on Saturday with the successful launch of its enhanced Zhuque-2E Y2 carrier rocket. Powered by cleaner-burning methane and liquid oxygen, the rocket lifted off at 12:12 p.m. local time (0412 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, carrying six satellites into orbit.
This marks the fifth mission in the Zhuque-2 series and a leap forward for LandSpace’s efforts to pioneer reusable methane-fueled rocketry. The Zhuque-2E model featured technical upgrades aimed at increasing thrust, payload capacity, and fuel efficiency through advanced cryogenic cooling techniques for both methane and liquid oxygen.
Beijing-based LandSpace made history in July 2023 by becoming the first company in the world to successfully launch a methane-powered rocket into orbit, outpacing SpaceX and Blue Origin in this technology. The cleaner fuel has become a focal point in the global race to build reusable launch systems due to its lower environmental impact and greater safety.
The company’s early missions carried no operational payloads, but its capabilities have grown rapidly. By December 2023, LandSpace launched three satellites aboard a single rocket. The latest mission, doubling that to six, reflects a rising demand for commercial satellite deployment across China’s expanding space sector.
LandSpace CEO Zhang Changwu confirmed that development of a reusable rocket is already underway, with a prototype test flight targeted for the second half of 2025. This puts LandSpace in closer competition with global leaders like SpaceX, which have already revolutionized launch economics with reusable boosters.
Founded in 2015, LandSpace is among China’s most prominent private space companies. It is backed by major investors such as HongShan (formerly Sequoia Capital China), the China SME Development Fund, and a state-owned manufacturing investment fund that provided 900 million yuan ($120 million) in December 2023. A previous 2020 funding round raised 1.2 billion yuan ($170 million).
With international interest growing in satellite constellations to rival systems like Starlink, LandSpace’s progress with methane propulsion and reusable technology positions it as a key player in Asia’s fast-evolving commercial space race.
As China pushes forward with its private aerospace ambitions, LandSpace’s achievements signal a new era of innovation, sustainability, and competitiveness in the global space industry.