LandSpace Launches 2.8-Ton Payload to 900-Km Orbit, Boosting Zhuque-2E Constellation Role
Updated
Updated · Global Times · May 14
LandSpace Launches 2.8-Ton Payload to 900-Km Orbit, Boosting Zhuque-2E Constellation Role
9 articles · Updated · Global Times · May 14
LandSpace’s Zhuque-2E Y5 completed a full-success mission on Thursday, placing a 2.8-ton customized experimental payload into a 900-kilometer orbit for large-scale constellation networking.
The company said the flight marked a breakthrough in the ZQ-2E’s heavy-payload capability, enabled by an iterated two-stage liquid oxygen-methane design with higher-thrust engines, added propellant capacity and lower structural weight.
The 55.9-meter rocket lifts off at 267 tons and uses four upgraded TQ-12A first-stage engines plus a TQ-15A second-stage engine; the first stage also adds autonomous thrust self-correction.
The launch was LandSpace’s first since a December Zhuque-3 recovery test ended with anomalous combustion during booster landing, with another recovery attempt planned in the first half of 2026.
The mission lands amid China’s push for more than 100 launches this year, including over 60 commercial missions, as private firms race to field larger rockets for constellation deployment.
Is China’s booming commercial space sector creating a sustainable industry or a state-funded bubble destined for consolidation?
As China claims orbital slots for 200,000 satellites, is a new 'first-come, first-served' space race for resources inevitable?