LandSpace Successfully Launches The World's First Methane-Fueled Rocket

Published on July 14, 2023

On July 12, LandSpace successfully launched its methane-powered Zhuque-2 rocket into orbit at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, making it the world¡¯s first methane-powered rocket to successfully make it into orbit.

This wasn¡¯t the company¡¯s first attempt at launching rockets of this design. The company first attempted the launch of such a rocket in December of 2022, but the propulsion system in the second stage of the rocket malfunctioned and caused the launch to fail. After doing more testing and improvements, the company was able to achieve a successful launch the second time.

Changwu Zhang, CEO of the company, said that the company is expecting to ship its products in small volumes in 2024, and has plans to develop reusable rockets in 2025.

Sources:

https://www.landspace.com/

http://www.news.cn/tech/20230713/5cec6cf2f68b4ab3af3182ff5846e1ed/c.html

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3227378/china-beats-spacex-worlds-first-methane-powered-rocket-launch