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Readers’ Reflections: China’s innovation success is real global news, landing in the living rooms of Italian retirees who barely use a smartphone: Italian scientist_我的网站
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A rocket that once would have been discarded after completing its mission has now taken a different path - returning from the edge of space back to Earth. In the early hours on Wednesday, the Zhuque-3 Y2 reusable launch vehicle lifted off for a flight test, carrying not only a satellite payload but also a major test of China's emerging reusable rocket capabilities. After completing its orbital mission, the rocket's first stage attempted a controlled return and recovery, with its developers Beijing-based private firm LandSpace describing the mission as a key transition from technology verification toward engineering application for China's commercial aerospace industry.
About 137 seconds after liftoff, the rocket’s first and second stages separated. The second stage continued its flight and successfully placed the Honghu-03 satellite, independently developed by Hongqing Technology, into its designated orbit. And at around 7:43 am, the rocket’s first stage successfully made a soft landing as planned at the Zhuque-3 landing site in Minqin county, Northwest China’s Gansu Province, marking the successful completion of the flight test mission.
This mission marked China's first-ever recovery of a launch vehicle's first stage using landing legs, as well as the country's first land-based recovery of the first stage of an orbital-class launch vehicle, the developer highlighted.
The achievement came shortly after China's Long March-10B reusable rocket successfully completed its maiden flight and a sea-based recovery test on July 10, marking a wave of breakthroughs in reusable launch technology. The parallel progress of state-owned and private aerospace players through different technical approaches is creating a dual-track development landscape for China's future low-cost and high-frequency space transportation, some aerospace experts told the Global Times.
Unlike traditional expendable rockets, which are discarded after a single mission, reusable launch vehicles are designed around an entirely different concept: a rocket should not only complete a launch, but also return safely and be prepared for future missions.
According to LandSpace, for conventional expendable liquid launch vehicles, the rocket itself represents the majority of launch costs, while fuel expenses generally account for only 1-3 percent. The first stage typically makes up about 70 percent of the total rocket cost. As a result, repeated reuse of rockets - particularly the first stage - can significantly lower launch costs by amortizing the cost of the vehicle over multiple missions. For partially reusable rockets that reuse the first stage while discarding the second stage, the cost advantage becomes increasingly evident as the number of reuse cycles grows.
The Zhuque-3 is a reusable liquid oxygen-methane launch vehicle independently developed by Beijing-based private aerospace firm LandSpace for future large satellite constellation deployment missions, according to the company's statement.
The rocket adopts a two-stage configuration, with a diameter of 4.5 meters, a total length of 66.1 meters and a liftoff mass of about 570 tons. Its first stage is equipped with nine Tianque-12A liquid oxygen-methane engines, as well as recovery systems including grid fins, attitude control systems and landing legs, enabling autonomous return and soft landing after orbital missions, LandSpace said.
The Y2 mission was conducted on the basis of experience accumulated from the previous flight test, with improvements focused on recovery reliability, flight control and engine performance.
LandSpace said it optimized the first-stage landing propulsion scheme by reducing the number of engines used during landing ignition, simplifying system design and improving reliability during the recovery phase. The company also added an autonomous safety control function capable of predicting landing points based on flight conditions and making corresponding safety adjustments.
The mission also further verified key technologies including the use of stainless-steel rocket structures, liquid oxygen-methane propulsion and landing-leg recovery systems.
According to LandSpace, stainless steel provides advantages in manufacturing cost, processing efficiency, high- and low-temperature performance and post-recovery maintenance, making it suitable for reusable rocket development.
The significance of Zhuque-3 Y2 extends beyond one flight test, as it reflects China's broader effort to develop reusable launch systems through multiple technological routes, according to Chinese experts.
Kang Guohua, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and a professor of aerospace engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times that China has become the second country after the US to develop orbital-class rocket recovery capabilities.
The US currently leads reusable rocket development, with SpaceX and Blue Origin advancing different recovery technologies. China, meanwhile, has seen both state-owned aerospace programs and private companies explore different technical pathways, creating a diversified development pattern, Kang said.
According to Kang, the parallel development of different approaches demonstrates the advantages of combining national strategic capabilities with market-driven innovation.
Pang Zhihao, a prominent Chinese space exploration expert and retired researcher from the China Academy of Spacecraft Technology, told the Global Times that the successful recovery of Zhuque-3 would carry special significance for China's private aerospace sector.
A landing-leg recovery approach would mean that private aerospace companies have completed the full process of developing a large-capacity reusable rocket system, validating key technologies including stainless-steel structures, multi-engine propulsion and recovery systems, Pang said.
More to expect
LandSpace said the first stage represents a significant share of the total cost of a liquid launch vehicle. Through repeated reuse, the cost of each launch can be gradually reduced, while production cycles can be shortened and launch frequency increased.
Such capabilities are becoming increasingly important as countries and companies accelerate the deployment of large low Earth orbit satellite constellations, it added.
The Zhuque-3 has demonstrated the ability to support various commercial missions, including satellite constellation deployment, single satellite launches and rideshare missions, according to LandSpace.
The company said the rocket has achieved a maximum orbital payload capacity of 14.2 tons in expendable mode, while its reusable configuration is designed to support future constellation deployment needs.
The Y2 mission also carried the Honghu-03 satellite developed by Hongqing Technology, combining reusable technology verification with a commercial launch application scenario. LandSpace said the mission verified the full chain of "design, manufacturing, testing, launch and recovery," laying the foundation for future commercial operations.
The Zhuque-3 Y2 test comes as China's aerospace industry accelerates efforts to develop reusable launch vehicles.
According to Chinese experts, multiple companies are now exploring different recovery technologies, including vertical landing and other innovative approaches, reflecting the rapid growth of China's commercial aerospace ecosystem.
Reusable liquid launch vehicle, Pallas-1 will begin its mission from Galactic Energy's independently built facility at the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone in northwestern China, where the company will soon complete testing, propellant filling and launch preparation operations, according to its developer Galactic Energy on Thursday.
Orienspace's Gravity-2 reusable large liquid launch vehicle is undergoing final ground testing ahead of its maiden flight, which is scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2026. The rocket is designed with a low Earth orbit payload capacity of 21.5 tons.
Space Pioneer is advancing verification and joint testing of its Yuanxingzhe-1 (YXZ-1) rocket, while i-Space's Hyperbola-3 reusable rocket has completed full-cycle ground verification of offshore recovery and landing technologies and is expected to conduct its maiden flight around the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, CAS Space's reusable Lihong-2 vehicle is being developed as a platform for verifying key recovery and reuse technologies, as well as conducting microgravity experiments. The vehicle is scheduled to complete its maiden flight and 100-kilometer-class recovery verification test in 2026.
Pang said reusable rocket technology could help lower launch costs, increase mission frequency and provide stronger support for emerging sectors such as satellite internet, space-based information networks and future large-scale space applications.
For China's private space sector, the Zhuque-3 Y2 mission represents a transition from technology verification toward engineering application, according to LandSpace. The company said it aims to further build a "launch-recovery-inspection-reuse" cycle to support future high-frequency and low-cost commercial operations.
Experts said reusable rocket technology could help reduce launch costs, increase launch frequency and provide stronger support for emerging sectors such as satellite internet and large-scale space applications.
The future challenge for China's reusable rocket developers will be turning successful flight tests into repeatable commercial operations, as the country advances toward a new era of high-frequency space transportation, they noted.
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Editor's Note:
Ahead of the opening of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, Chinese AI start-up Moonshot AI released its Kimi K3 large language model. As the world's largest open-source model by parameter count to date, this launch marks a significant step forward in the development of China's artificial intelligence models.
From the C919 airliner soaring into the skies to Unitree's humanoid robots stealing the show; from DeepSeek pushing the AI frontier to Moonshot AI's landmark unveiling of Kimi K3 - China's wave of homegrown innovations has dominated global headlines in recent years, delivering a steady stream of breakthroughs.
At a meeting in Beijing that brought together the national science and technology award conference, the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and the 11th national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology in July, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is a critical phase for tackling tough challenges in building up the country's strength in science and technology.
"We must seize the historic opportunity, rise to the challenges of the times, accelerate efforts to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and make steady progress toward the 2035 goal of becoming a leading country in science and technology," he said.
In the article "Strive for Greater Strength and Self-Reliance in Science and Technology" included in the fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Xi pointed out, "Through years of endeavor, our country's overall strength in science and technology has improved substantially. We therefore have a solid foundation, and are fully confident in our ability to seize the opportunities offered by the new revolution in science, technology and industry to achieve greater results." The article also mentioned that "We should participate to the full in global science and technology governance, contribute Chinese wisdom, and shape a philosophy of technology for good purposes, so that science and technology better serve human wellbeing, and enable China's science and technology industry to contribute more to building a global community of shared future."
In the 27th installment of the special series "Decoding the Book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," the Global Times, along with the People's Daily Overseas Edition, continues to invite Chinese and foreign scholars, translators of Xi's works, practitioners with firsthand experience, and international readers to focus on the theme of striving for greater strength and self-reliance in science and technology. Together, they share views on China's tech growth, governance principles, and global cooperation in science and technology.
In the 27th article of the "Readers' Reflections" column, Global Times (GT) talked to Francesco Faiola (Faiola), an Italian professor at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences with Chinese Academy of Sciences and recipient of the Chinese Government Friendship Award.
GT: Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance on July 17. He said that as a responsible major country, China is always committed to providing international public goods relating to AI. In the article "Boost Basic Research and Achieve Greater Strength and Self-Reliance in Science and Technology" included in the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Xi said, "It is important that we adopt a more open-minded approach to international exchange and cooperation in research to create an open, globally competitive innovation ecosystem." Amid the current complex global landscape, China remains firmly committed to keeping its doors open to international scientific collaboration. In your view, where does China's confidence in this commitment come from?
Faiola: I think China's confidence in staying open comes from a deep shift in mindset. The Chinese people, especially the scientific community, now really believe they are not inferior to Westerners. For a long time, even many people here thought top science had to happen at a Western address. When I first came, I believed that too. The US and Europe seemed like the only serious places for breakthroughs. Now that idea is changing, and moving toward China, because the evidence of leadership is everywhere: stem cell standards, artificial intelligence (AI) efficiency, green manufacturing. It's undeniable. China knows it has everything needed to attract and keep international talent. It's no longer a developing country playing catch up. It's a place that's helping set the global agenda.
That self-assurance is the bedrock of openness. When you truly believe you have unique strengths, like a huge organoid screening capability or a community of scientists who think deeply, you don't fear open doors. You want colleagues from everywhere to walk through so the science moves faster. My own lab works with European centers as equals. That parity is real. But we also know not everyone abroad gets this transformation yet. A lot of people still imagine Chinese science as just following others. That's exactly why China is pushing openness harder: funding lines for foreign principal investigators, open innovation hubs in Beijing, active participation in setting international standards. These aren't defensive moves. They're proof of a country confident enough to invite the world in, show what it can do, and create knowledge together.
On a deeper level, the confidence is also just rational. The big challenges - environmental problem, pandemic preparedness and precision medicine - are global. If China closed itself off, the data and validation its own regulators need would get weaker. So, the open door isn't charity. It's the smart recognition that scientific greatness today gets multiplied when you share it.
GT: In the article "Strive for Greater Strength and Self-Reliance in Science and Technology" included in the fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Xi pointed out, "Through years of endeavor, our country's overall strength in science and technology has improved substantially. We therefore have a solid foundation, and are fully confident in our ability to seize the opportunities offered by the new revolution in science, technology and industry to achieve greater results." From the domestically built large passenger jet to DeepSeek, Unitree Robotics, and Moonshot AI's Kimi K3, China's innovation achievements have been making headlines. How do you assess China's achievements in sci-tech innovation in recent years?
Faiola: I measure China's innovation success in a very personal way. My parents are old, living in a small Italian town. They don't speak English. They don't understand molecular biology. They can't read a scientific paper. But over the past few years, they've called me up more than once, excited, telling me about a Chinese airplane or a humanoid robot or some AI breakthrough they saw on Italy's main TV news or in the newspapers.
That tells me something deep. These aren't niche stories for tech insiders. They are real global news, landing in the living rooms of retirees who barely use a smartphone. I'm not bragging to them about China's progress. They are telling me. When achievements get that far into everyday European life, it's a sign China is doing something the world finds worth talking about.
The C919 plane, DeepSeek, Unitree Robotics - these aren't one-off hits. They prove China can now conceive, design, and build complex, original systems on its own, whether it's an airliner, an advanced AI model, or an agile robot. That takes deep integration across different fields, aerodynamics, materials, real time control, and AI.
DeepSeek's whole philosophy, doing more with less, is exactly how we created affordable organoid screening tools. And the quiet shift from rule taker to rule maker in chemical safety standards, that mirrors the C919's ambition to compete globally on certification. All this shows China is blending manufacturing, digital smarts, and biology into one force. But my real proof is what I hear from my students. They don't just apply discoveries from papers anymore. They question the assumptions behind them. That intellectual confidence, and the fact it echoes all the way back to a small Italian town, is why I'm sure China will fully seize this moment.
GT: President Xi said that AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation. Having conducted research in China for many years, you are not only a witness but also a driving force behind China-Europe scientific exchanges. Looking ahead, how can both sides deepen complementary advantages and achieve mutually beneficial empowerment to jointly address global challenges such as climate change and health? Over the next five years, which specific sectors should China-Europe science and technology collaboration prioritize?
Faiola: I grew up in Italy and now I lead a lab in Beijing while working with colleagues all over Europe. So, China-Europe teamwork isn't some abstract idea to me. It's how my week actually looks. The old cliché, European basic research plus Chinese scale and speed, is already outdated. Both sides now generate novel insights. The relationship has to become genuine two-way cocreation.
I see three practical things that would deepen it. First, we need truly joint funding: one grant, one integrated team, maybe a Max Planck group and a Chinese Academy of Sciences group, with a single scientific plan and students who genuinely rotate between the labs. Second, we need to harmonize regulations and ethics for organoid technologies. Europe has advanced thinking on governance. China has manufacturing scale and the drive to get things into clinics. If we co-develop shared quality and ethical standards for organoid testing, we basically set the global benchmark. A liver organoid made in Europe could then be used directly for a toxicity screen in China without repeating all the validation. Third, we need deliberate talent circulation, not a zero-sum competition. Joint PhD programs where a student naturally moves between continents.
The science doesn't care about borders. If we build the shared tools now, China and Europe can show the world a model where shared knowledge beats division.
GT: Recently, some Western media and think tanks are peddling "China Shock 2.0," claiming that China is achieving fast development in high-tech sectors such as renewable energy and AI and relies on foreign markets to absorb its overcapacity, thus reducing the market share of developed countries and sending more serious shock waves to the global economy compared with the era of traditional manufacture industry. What's your comment on this? In your view, does this represent a new pretext for Western protectionism, or is it an unavoidable external misunderstanding amid China's industrial upgrading?
Faiola: I'm a bench scientist, not a political analyst. I stick to what I can see and measure in my own work. So, I'm not going to guess what the media or think tanks intend. I'll just tell you what the facts show me, and from my lab, the "China Shock 2.0" story just doesn't match up.
In my field of stem cell toxicology, the world is desperate for human relevant safety tests to replace animal testing. Tens of thousands of chemicals still don't have proper hazard data. When Chinese labs turn out high throughput organoid platforms at a fraction of the old cost, that's not dumping "overcapacity" into a full market. It's filling a huge shortage. A researcher in Brazil or Kenya suddenly gets access to a toxicity screen that never existed for them before. Demand is skyrocketing, not standing still. Meeting that demand is a service, not a shock.
With AI, it's the same pattern. DeepSeek's efficiency makes it cheaper and easier for biomedical researchers around the world to use these tools. It's helping create new markets, not stealing a fixed pie. Sure, any big shift causes some dislocation. The answer to that is domestic support and transition policies, not blocking technologies that help solve planetary problems.
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