Decks cleared for launch of ZQ 3 rocket

LandSpace, a leading private rocket maker in China, is preparing for the debut flight of its ZQ 3, or Rosefinch 3, carrier rocket, a gigantic reusable model made primarily of stainless steel.

If everything goes according to schedule, the first ZQ 3 will take to the sky in the near future at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert and will attempt to recover its first-stage booster, according to the Beijing-headquartered enterprise.

The rocket is now undergoing technical testing at the Jiuquan spaceport, which has a dedicated launch service tower for the ZQ 3 series.

According to the company, the first ZQ 3 will be 66.1 meters tall and 4.5 meters wide, and will weigh nearly 570 metric tons when fully fueled.

With a liftoff thrust of over 750 tons, it will be able to transport heavy satellites to low Earth or sun-synchronous orbits.

The rocket will be propelled by LandSpace's own methane engines — the first stage will have nine TQ-12A engines, creating the major lift for the rocket. The second stage will have a TQ-15B engine.

Compared with traditional types of rocket engines that can function only once, a methane engine is reusable and more environmentally friendly.

The use of methane engines will make the ZQ 3's first-stage booster reusable. To recover that part, there are four grid fins and four landing legs on the space vessel.

Engineers explained that the rocket's propellant tanks are constructed from stainless steel, which offers excellent strength, resistance to scorching temperatures and corrosion, and a highly competitive cost.

LandSpace has poured a considerable amount of resources in the research and development of the ZQ 3 as the company wants to use the reusable model to compete for lucrative launch service contracts created by China's plan of establishing a massive internet satellite network.

In September 2024, it carried out a "vertical takeoff and vertical landing" test — in which a rocket lifts off to a certain altitude and then makes a controlled vertical landing — at the Jiuquan center. The experimental vehicle reached a height of 10 kilometers, verifying critical technologies to be used on the ZQ 3.

Last month, LandSpace conducted a static-fire test on the first ZQ 3 in Jiuquan. The static-fire test is a common prelaunch trial in which a rocket fires its engines while remaining anchored to the pad. It was intended to check the erection, fueling and ignition sequences of the new type.

LandSpace conducted the world's first orbital mission of a methane-propelled carrier rocket in July 2023 as it launched a ZQ 2 model at the Jiuquan center. To date, the ZQ 2 and its modified variant have made six launches.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn