Chinese Company Lands Rocket After Launch — Third in the World to Do So

A Chinese startup called LandSpace safely landed the main booster of its Zhuque-3 rocket on August 19, 2026, in Gansu province. The booster is the big bottom part of a rocket that could otherwise be lost. Only SpaceX and Blue Origin had done this before. The same mission also put a satellite into orbit — something the company's December 2025 attempt failed to complete.