The Zhuque-2 rocket, manufactured by the Chinese company Landspace, failed to reach orbit. The causes of the accident remain unknown at this time.
The Zhuque-2 is a two-stage medium-class launch vehicle. It is 49.5 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter. It can carry up to six tons of cargo to a 200-kilometer low Earth orbit and up to four tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
An important feature of the rocket is that it uses methane as fuel. In 2023, Zhuque-2 became the first methane rocket in history to reach space.
Since then, Landspace has carried out four more launches of Zhuque-2. The first three were successful, but the fourth, which took place on August 15, ended in failure. It occurred at the second stage of the work site.At this point, Landspace has not disclosed any technical details about the incident. It is also unclear about the cargo on board the rocket.
The Zhuque-2 accident could have a serious impact on Landspace’s plans. The company is currently working on the creation of a “Chinese Falcon 9” — the Zhuque-3 rocket with a reusable first stage. Landspace had previously announced its intention to launch its first mission before the end of this year, but these plans may now be revised.
