This Chinese company could become the country’s first to land a reusable rocket

LandSpace, a Chinese rocket startup, is preparing to launch its Zhuque-3 rocket tonight from northwestern China, marking the country's first attempt to land and reuse an orbital-class booster. The medium-lift rocket will try to land its first stage in the Gobi Desert using SpaceX-style technology, including nine methane engines and deployable landing legs. This represents China's push to compete with SpaceX's reusable rocket dominance, as the country needs faster, cheaper launches to deploy thousands of satellites for its megaconstellations and maintain pace with US space capabilities.