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Zhuque-3 Y2 landmark recovery test marks China’s dual-track reusable rocket development, aerospace experts say_我的网站

A |     By Wang Gaofei, Wu Xinru     (ECNS) -- Do sunflower seeds and dumplings pose a "threat" to U.S. national security?    The question may sound absurd, but the latest additions to the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) entity list have raised questions about the breadth of the U.S. trade restrictions on Chinese goods. 43 Chinese companies have been added to the list in a single day, bringing the total to 187. From advanced chips to food and everyday apparel, the overreaching "big stick" of U.S. sanctions has finally ripped away its own fig-leaf.    Is this move really driven by "human rights concerns" as the West claimed, or is it merely the result of political calculation by Washington's elites? What lies behind Washington's decision to escalate sanctions just one day after reaching a consensus?    Josef Gregory Mahoney, an American scholar and professor of Politics and International Relations at East China Normal University, was recently invited to join News Lounge of China News Network where he unpacked the real intentions of U.S. sanctions.        Sunflower seeds and dumplings land on the list: The absurdity and futility behind overreaching sanctions     "This move is logically indefensible," Mahoney stated bluntly, "These consumer goods firms have absolutely no connection to the so-called 'forced labor' allegations. Claims are entirely fabricated and lack any factual basis."     He argued that the U.S.' true intention is clear -- using groundless excuses to suppress China's competitive ordinary industries, disrupt the stability of China's industrial and supply chains, and protect the market share of its own traditional industries at the expense of Chinese enterprises' legitimate rights.         When even sunflower seeds and dumplings are labeled as "threats," the veteran scholar of China-U.S. relations emphasized, it exposes the absurdity and desperation behind Washington's containment strategy.     Turning to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) itself, he was even more incisive: "In the context of international law, the UFLPA has no legitimate legal foundation. In fact, it violates basic WTO rules and international trade norms."    He also added that the enforcement criteria of UFLPA are fatally flawed, adopting an unfair, rebuttable presumption that treats all related entities as guilty without evidence. When the law arbitrarily expands restrictions without clear, consistent judgment, it reverses the fundamental legal principle of presumption of innocence.     To suppress China, Washington has disregarded legal principles and fallen into logical contradictions, going to extraordinary lengths to achieve its ends.    Mahoney stressed: "It is blatant economic coercion, which could bring far-reaching harm," including erecting unnecessary trade barriers, hindering the flow of bilateral goods, and disrupting global industrial chain arrangements. Washington will hardly be able to bear the bitter fruits of these spillover effects.    Backtracking the very next day: Political calculation trumps economic and trade consensus     Just one day before the sanctions were announced, senior Chinese and U.S. officials in charge of economic and trade affairs had just held a video call, during which both sides stated that they were ready to jointly push for stable and sound China-U.S. economic and trade ties. Yet Washington brandished the big stick of sanctions almost immediately after those remarks. According to Mahoney, the timing is a deliberate and calculated provocation.     "The U.S. uses engagement and escalation as two sides of the same policy. It aims to create unilateral leverage before the follow-up consultations, break the mutual trust just built and force China into unnecessary concessions, completely violating the consensus reached by both parties."    The so-called "human rights concerns" appear to be a plausible pretext by the U.S. Yet in Mahoney's eyes, the sanction escalation stems almost entirely from domestic U.S. political calculation.     As the midterm elections draw near, demonstrating toughness on China remains one of the few tactics to unite Washington's bitterly-divided political establishment. The U.S. Congress has consistently demanded more aggressive UFLPA enforcement, and expanding the entity list helps insulate the White House from criticism by China Hawks.    Mahoney sees through this ploy: "It says nothing more than a convenient political fig leaf."    But just how much of Washington's shame can this fig leaf possibly cover?        Mahoney pointed directly to long-unresolved domestic issues in the United States, including sweatshop labor, prison labor and the abuse of migrant labor. Abroad, Washington has resorted to the aggression against Venezuela, against Iran, and supporting the genocide in Gaza.     Plagued by deep-seated domestic ills and a dismal human rights record, Washington, though, has long posed as a self-appointed "world's policeman," but its actions only serve to expose its deep hypocrisy.    Mahoney warned that, faced with election-driven pressures, continued festering of domestic governance problems in the U.S. could push Washington toward increasingly radical foreign policy stances. This sanction move, which represents a betrayal of previous consensus, has further eroded the already fragile China-U.S. mutual trust and introduced considerable uncertainties for subsequent high-level consultations.      Truth long obscured: Heavy barriers hide the reality     Western public discourse has long been awash with various false narratives targeting China, Xinjiang in particular.    "One of the interesting things we know about the cotton industry in Xinjiang is that there's no 'forced labor,' period. One of the things that is sort of interesting is that anyone can go to Xinjiang. It welcomes all visitors." Mahoney iterated in the interview.    During his recent visit to Xinjiang, Mahoney not only witnessed firsthand the highly-mechanized cotton-harvesting operations, but also toured local factories that produce harvesting equipment.    Inside the production workshops, he saw working teams led by female engineers, and members included Uyghurs who were there as professionals. Everyone performed their respective duties, actively contributing ideas and energy to production with great enthusiasm. Nowhere did he see "forced labor" or "slave labor" decried in Western media narratives.     Only by experiencing it firsthand and verifying through on-the-ground investigation can one get a glimpse of the truth. Mahoney noted that foreign visitors traveling to Urumqi, Karamay, and Kashgar are consistently struck by the region's stability, public order, and the well-being of its people.    Not everyone can afford, unfortunately, to travel to China, as Mahoney introduced, especially many Americans who find their position eroding economically because of the very policies that the current administration is putting into place. "They're kind of trapped in economic decline."    Some anti-China forces have long engaged in blame-shifting, seeking to externalize domestic governance conflicts and divert public discontent through media narratives. Trapped within pre-set information echo chambers, ordinary citizens lack the means to verify the truth by traveling to China. Exposed over time to one-sided, misleading and even false reports, they readily develop deep-seated negative stereotypes about China.    Encouragingly, the current media landscape is quietly shifting.    Mahoney noticed that a level of criticality has sort of entered the discussion now, which is creating an opening for people to take a more balanced look at China.    In recent years, China has rolled out multiple visa-exemption policies, and the popularity of travelling to China continues to surge. In his view, this offers an excellent opportunity for people overseas to break free from false narratives and see a multifaceted, authentic China. At the end of the interview, Mahoney shared his observations on the future development of China-U.S. relations.     In his view, how relations unfold between these two major powers has implications well beyond the two nations but also the global order.     Mahoney explained how Europe, faced with persistently high risks of deindustrialization, is further impacted by the energy crisis amid regional conflicts stoked by the United States, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Iran-Israel conflict. A large volume of opportunities and investment therefore has flowed outward, forcing Europe to adopt trade-protectionist stances toward China, which brings complications to China's relationship with the EU. Mahoney said that a growing number of countries are seeing these developments. And they realize that if they want to avoid the boot heel of American hegemony, they have to find more constructive alternatives and the ability to advance according to their own agendas. "And these, in fact, are the alternatives that China is offering them."    He held that some significant headwinds would be raised for the short-term development of China-U.S. relations and they would become more complicated.     His position is that the United States is facing a relative decline and is being hollowed out from within by itself while still being engaged in imperial overreach globally. Increasingly, the world is building alternatives to that type of U.S. dominated model.     On the contrary, China is probably the country best-positioned in the world to weather those types of risks and to even moderate them to some extent. He believes the country will work through this.    "China has been a responsible major power that has committed itself to stability over conflict," said Mahoney.    "If the U.S. can wake up to that realization, while at the same time figure out a way to change its behavior and commitment to structural inequalities, then I think we might find the two countries being able to move together in a way that would better result in a shared future for humanity," he concluded.                    。    

         Photos: Courtesy of Landspace    
A rocket that once would have been discarded after completing its mission has now taken a different path - returning from the edge of space back to Earth. In the early hours on Wednesday, the Zhuque-3 Y2 reusable launch vehicle lifted off for a flight test, carrying not only a satellite payload but also a major test of China's emerging reusable rocket capabilities. After completing its orbital mission, the rocket's first stage attempted a controlled return and recovery, with its developers Beijing-based private firm LandSpace describing the mission as a key transition from technology verification toward engineering application for China's commercial aerospace industry.
About 137 seconds after liftoff, the rocket’s first and second stages separated. The second stage continued its flight and successfully placed the Honghu-03 satellite, independently developed by Hongqing Technology, into its designated orbit. And at around 7:43 am, the rocket’s first stage successfully made a soft landing as planned at the Zhuque-3 landing site in Minqin county, Northwest China’s Gansu Province, marking the successful completion of the flight test mission.
This mission marked China's first-ever recovery of a launch vehicle's first stage using landing legs, as well as the country's first land-based recovery of the first stage of an orbital-class launch vehicle, the developer highlighted.
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 LandspaceDesigned 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.
The rocket adopts a two-stage configuration, with a diameter of 4.5 meters, a total length of 66.1 meters and a liftoff mass of about 570 tons. Its first stage is equipped with nine Tianque-12A liquid oxygen-methane engines, as well as recovery systems including grid fins, attitude control systems and landing legs, enabling autonomous return and soft landing after orbital missions, LandSpace said.  
The Y2 mission was conducted on the basis of experience accumulated from the previous flight test, with improvements focused on recovery reliability, flight control and engine performance.
LandSpace said it optimized the first-stage landing propulsion scheme by reducing the number of engines used during landing ignition, simplifying system design and improving reliability during the recovery phase. The company also added an autonomous safety control function capable of predicting landing points based on flight conditions and making corresponding safety adjustments.  
The mission also further verified key technologies including the use of stainless-steel rocket structures, liquid oxygen-methane propulsion and landing-leg recovery systems.
According to LandSpace, stainless steel provides advantages in manufacturing cost, processing efficiency, high- and low-temperature performance and post-recovery maintenance, making it suitable for reusable rocket development.  

    Photos: Courtesy of LandspaceMore than a single rocket's return
The significance of Zhuque-3 Y2 extends beyond one flight test, as it reflects China's broader effort to develop reusable launch systems through multiple technological routes, according to Chinese experts.
Kang Guohua, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and a professor of aerospace engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times that China has become the second country after the US to develop orbital-class rocket recovery capabilities.
The US currently leads reusable rocket development, with SpaceX and Blue Origin advancing different recovery technologies. China, meanwhile, has seen both state-owned aerospace programs and private companies explore different technical pathways, creating a diversified development pattern, Kang said.  
According to Kang, the parallel development of different approaches demonstrates the advantages of combining national strategic capabilities with market-driven innovation.  
Pang Zhihao, a prominent Chinese space exploration expert and retired researcher from the China Academy of Spacecraft Technology, told the Global Times that the successful recovery of Zhuque-3 would carry special significance for China's private aerospace sector.
A landing-leg recovery approach would mean that private aerospace companies have completed the full process of developing a large-capacity reusable rocket system, validating key technologies including stainless-steel structures, multi-engine propulsion and recovery systems, Pang said.  
More to expect 
LandSpace said the first stage represents a significant share of the total cost of a liquid launch vehicle. Through repeated reuse, the cost of each launch can be gradually reduced, while production cycles can be shortened and launch frequency increased.  
Such capabilities are becoming increasingly important as countries and companies accelerate the deployment of large low Earth orbit satellite constellations, it added.
The Zhuque-3 has demonstrated the ability to support various commercial missions, including satellite constellation deployment, single satellite launches and rideshare missions, according to LandSpace.
The company said the rocket has achieved a maximum orbital payload capacity of 14.2 tons in expendable mode, while its reusable configuration is designed to support future constellation deployment needs.  
The Y2 mission also carried the Honghu-03 satellite developed by Hongqing Technology, combining reusable technology verification with a commercial launch application scenario. LandSpace said the mission verified the full chain of "design, manufacturing, testing, launch and recovery," laying the foundation for future commercial operations.  
The Zhuque-3 Y2 test comes as China's aerospace industry accelerates efforts to develop reusable launch vehicles.
According to Chinese experts, multiple companies are now exploring different recovery technologies, including vertical landing and other innovative approaches, reflecting the rapid growth of China's commercial aerospace ecosystem.  
Reusable liquid launch vehicle, Pallas-1 will begin its mission from Galactic Energy's independently built facility at the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone in northwestern China, where the company will soon complete testing, propellant filling and launch preparation operations, according to its developer Galactic Energy on Thursday.
Orienspace's Gravity-2 reusable large liquid launch vehicle is undergoing final ground testing ahead of its maiden flight, which is scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2026. The rocket is designed with a low Earth orbit payload capacity of 21.5 tons.
Space Pioneer is advancing verification and joint testing of its Yuanxingzhe-1 (YXZ-1) rocket, while i-Space's Hyperbola-3 reusable rocket has completed full-cycle ground verification of offshore recovery and landing technologies and is expected to conduct its maiden flight around the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, CAS Space's reusable Lihong-2 vehicle is being developed as a platform for verifying key recovery and reuse technologies, as well as conducting microgravity experiments. The vehicle is scheduled to complete its maiden flight and 100-kilometer-class recovery verification test in 2026.
Pang said reusable rocket technology could help lower launch costs, increase mission frequency and provide stronger support for emerging sectors such as satellite internet, space-based information networks and future large-scale space applications.  
For China's private space sector, the Zhuque-3 Y2 mission represents a transition from technology verification toward engineering application, according to LandSpace. The company said it aims to further build a "launch-recovery-inspection-reuse" cycle to support future high-frequency and low-cost commercial operations. 
Experts said reusable rocket technology could help reduce launch costs, increase launch frequency and provide stronger support for emerging sectors such as satellite internet and large-scale space applications.  
The future challenge for China's reusable rocket developers will be turning successful flight tests into repeatable commercial operations, as the country advances toward a new era of high-frequency space transportation, they noted.
    Photos: Courtesy of Landspace

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