Maps
Magazine

WORLD NEWS

China’s LandSpace Launches Six Satellites Using Methane-Powered Rocket
China’s private startup LandSpace successfully launched six satellites with its methane-powered Zhuque-2E rocket, advancing cleaner, cheaper fuel tech and reusable rocket plans.
ND
by News Desk
2025-05-17
China’s LandSpace Launches Six Satellites Using Methane-Powered Rocket

Chinese private aerospace company LandSpace has successfully launched six satellites into orbit using its methane-powered Zhuque-2E Y2 rocket, doubling down on the use of methane as a cleaner, safer, and cheaper rocket fuel. The launch took place Saturday at 12:12pm local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, marking the fifth flight for the Zhuque-2 series.

LandSpace made global headlines in July 2023 as the first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket, outpacing US rivals including SpaceX and Blue Origin. Methane is considered a promising propellant for reusable rockets due to its reduced pollution, cost-effectiveness, and safer handling compared to traditional hydrocarbon fuels.

The Zhuque-2E rocket’s payload capacity has increased, reflecting China’s booming commercial space sector and growing ambitions to build satellite constellations competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink network. While the company’s first methane-powered launch carried no real satellites, the December 2023 mission successfully orbited three satellites, and the latest launch doubled that number to six.

LandSpace CEO Zhang Changwu has confirmed the company is working on developing reusable rockets and anticipates a test launch in the second half of 2025. Saturday’s flight featured a technical milestone — the use of subcooled liquid oxygen and methane propulsion, which increases engine thrust and efficiency.

Since China opened its commercial space industry to private investment in 2014, companies like LandSpace have rapidly expanded the sector. Founded in 2015, LandSpace has attracted significant investment from venture capital firms such as HongShan (formerly Sequoia Capital China), state-backed funds, and major corporate investors.

In December 2024, LandSpace secured 900 million yuan ($120 million) from a government fund supporting advanced manufacturing, adding to the 1.2 billion yuan ($170 million) raised in 2020. These investments position LandSpace as one of China’s leading private players in the race for next-generation rocket technology.

With growing global interest in methane as a clean and efficient rocket fuel, LandSpace’s progress highlights China’s ambitions to innovate and compete in the international commercial space race.

 
Tagged:

ChinaSpace

LandSpace

MethaneRocket

SpaceLaunch
Share News: