Launch Paused? New Developments for the Zhuque-3 (朱雀三号) Maiden Flight

Key Points

Zhuque-3 (朱雀三号) launch paused? Here’s a clear breakdown for investors, founders, and engineers watching China’s commercial space push.

Why the Zhuque-3 (Zhūquè Sān Hào 朱雀三号) First Flight Became a Mystery

In recent days reports about the maiden flight of the reusable Zhuque-3 (Zhūquè Sān Hào 朱雀三号) rocket built by LandSpace (Lánjiàn Hángtiān 蓝箭航天) have continued to swirl.

Multiple sources indicate the launch window was pushed from November 29 to December 1 and — more recently — that the launch has been paused.

Market reaction was immediate.

According to data on EastMoney (东方财富 Dōngfāng Cáifù), the A-share satellite internet (卫星互联网 Wèixīng Hùliánwǎng) concept led sector gains over five days, up roughly 8.95%.

Last Friday several aerospace-related stocks hit their daily limits, including Hángtiān Huányǔ (航天环宇), Léi Kē Fángwù (雷科防务), Hángtiān Fāzhǎn (航天发展), Pǔtiān Kējì (普天科技) and Tōngyǔ Tōngxùn (通宇通讯).

Quick take: price action shows investor appetite for Chinese commercial space plays is strong, and uncertainty around a marquee launch like Zhuque-3 can move related equities sharply.

Commercial Space Oversight Takes Shape

On November 29 the China National Space Administration (Guójiā Hángtiānjú 国家航天局) announced it has recently established a commercial space office — the Commercial Space Department (Shāngyè Hángtiān Sī 商业航天司).

The agency said related functions are being rolled out, marking the arrival of a dedicated regulator for China’s commercial space industry.

Market participants see this as a structural positive for the sector and a potential long-term tailwind across the commercial space supply chain.

Why this matters: a dedicated regulator can clarify licensing, safety review, and launch coordination, and that clarity typically reduces friction for operators, suppliers, and investors.

LandSpace’s Public Updates — and an Apparent Media Pullback

On November 28 LandSpace (Lánjiàn Hángtiān 蓝箭航天) posted an update to its Weibo account saying the Zhuque-3 reusable launch program was proceeding “steadily and in strict, careful order.”

Despite that, uncertainty lingered — notably after the launch’s full-media reporting partner, a Central Radio & Television affiliated account known as “Kongtianzhu Meng” (空天逐梦), posted on Douyin on November 29 that their team was withdrawing from the launch site coverage and that plans had changed.

The post suggested the public first-flight outcome might not be revealed immediately.

Repeated requests from Shanghai Securities News reporters to LandSpace for a confirmed launch time were met with the company advising to “follow official announcements.”

As of publication, LandSpace has not issued a formal public date for the Zhuque-3 first orbital flight.

Practical insight: media pullback is often a conservative signal during sensitive test campaigns; it can indicate unresolved technical checks, regulatory coordination needs, or communication strategy shifts.

What Zhuque-3 Is and Why the Test Matters

LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 (Zhūquè Sān Hào 朱雀三号) is a large liquid oxygen (LOX) / methane (CH4) rocket with a stainless-steel airframe.

It’s designed for first-stage reusability and is intended to support high-frequency, low-cost commercial scenarios such as large satellite constellations.

According to company disclosures, the vehicle’s first stage is built for 20+ reuses.

Reusability here means that after stage separation the first stage will return and be recovered, inspected and refurbished for reuse.

For this mission Zhuque-3 is fitted with recovery legs, grid fins and an RCS (reaction control system) to support controlled re-entry and landing.

The maiden-flight test program has two phases: a first phase of propellant loading rehearsals and a static-fire test followed by return-to-tech-site inspections; and a second phase that targets an actual orbital insertion while attempting booster recovery.

Why investors and engineers care: if Zhuque-3 demonstrates repeatable recovery and turnaround, it could materially affect launch economics for satellite operators and create downstream demand across manufacturing, avionics, and ground systems suppliers.

How China’s Effort Compares Globally

Reusable booster recovery is widely acknowledged as a key cost-reduction technology.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 (Lièyīng 9 猎鹰9号) remains the global benchmark: its first-stage boosters have been reflown dozens of times, enabling high launch cadence — SpaceX flew well over 100 missions in 2024 and activity has continued to rise.

Blue Origin’s (Lánsè Qǐyuán 蓝色起源) New Glenn (New Glenn) recently recovered a reusable first stage to an Atlantic recovery platform, making Blue Origin the second company in the world to recover a large orbital-class booster stage at sea.

Among Chinese private players pursuing reusability, LandSpace is one of the furthest along: in mid-October Zhuque-3 completed a successful integrated fueling rehearsal and static-fire exercise at the Dongfeng Commercial Space test zone, then returned to its tech area to prepare for the orbital + recovery phase.

Context for strategists: reusability is a system-level play — successful recovery requires integration across propulsion, guidance, thermal protection, and ground logistics.

Elon Musk’s (Èlún Mùsī 埃隆·马斯克) Comment and Industry Attention

In late October Elon Musk publicly commented on the Zhuque-3 program, noting the design uses stainless steel and methane — elements Musk said combine ideas from both the Falcon architecture and SpaceX’s Starship family.

Musk’s remarks highlighted international attention to China’s advances on reusable methane-LOX architectures.

Signal: cross-border commentary from leading industry figures can increase scrutiny and expectations, which matters for market perception and media coverage dynamics.

Next Steps and What to Watch

• Official launch timing: LandSpace has not announced a confirmed orbital launch date — follow the company’s formal statements and the China National Space Administration’s commercial space office releases.
• Recovery attempt: The second-phase test will reveal whether the first stage can perform a controlled return and landing sequence using its legs, grid fins and RCS.
• Regulatory support: Implementation details from the newly created Commercial Space Department (Shāngyè Hángtiān Sī 商业航天司) will be important for the wider industry’s operational and market expectations.

Although the Zhuque-3 first-flight schedule remains uncertain, the establishment of a dedicated commercial space office within the national space authority is broadly seen as a significant structural positive for China’s commercial space sector.

Bottom line for investors and founders: watch for official timing, recovery telemetry, and regulatory guidance — each will drive next-wave investment and partnership opportunities tied to reusable launch economics.

Zhuque-3 (朱雀三号) remains a high-impact story to follow for anyone tracking China’s commercial space evolution.

References

• 暂停发射？朱雀三号首飞新消息！ – 上海证券报
• 暂停发射？朱雀三号首飞新消息！ – 东方财富
• 蓝箭航天官网 – 蓝箭航天