China just Successfully Launched SpaceX Clone Falcon 9 into Orbit, But Booster Recovery FAILED...

China just Successfully Launched SpaceX Clone Falcon 9 into Orbit, But Booster Recovery FAILED...
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00:00: Intro
00:42: China Zhuque-3 failure
05:39: Crew-12’s member change
09:44: The ISS’s docked spacecraft number record
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China just Successfully Launched SpaceX Clone Falcon 9 into Orbit, But Booster Recovery FAILED...
What a moment to take in.
China has failed its first attempt to land a reusable methane rocket, adding yet another setback to a long list of imitation efforts that have not succeeded. So the question is simple. What comes next?
In a completely unexpected development, a Crew-12 cosmonaut has been grounded for violating national security laws, marking one of the most unusual personnel decisions in recent spaceflight history.
And while all of this is unfolding, the International Space Station has quietly set a new record for the number of docked spacecraft at one time.
Let us explore these stories on today’s episode of Great SpaceX.
China just Successfully Launched SpaceX Clone Falcon 9 into Orbit, But Booster Recovery FAILED...
You may be wondering why China’s copycat rockets are drawing so much attention. Zhuque is the rocket family developed by Landspace, a private Chinese aerospace company. In July and December of 2023, Zhuque-2 made history as the first methane and liquid oxygen rocket to reach orbit and successfully deploy payloads. After those milestones, Landspace completed three additional missions with the upgraded Zhuque-2E variant. Two flights succeeded, and one failed.
Despite these achievements, the second generation of Zhuque rockets shared the same limitation. None of them could be reused. Reusability is only being attempted with the new Zhuque-3.
Now let us return to the most recent mission. This attempt had already been delayed once due to an unspecified issue. Based on the limited footage available, the ascent phase appeared to proceed normally. Zhuque-3 stands about 66 meters tall and is powered by nine Tianque-12A engines that generate roughly 730 tons of thrust. Everything seemed stable until the booster began its descent.
China just Successfully Launched SpaceX Clone Falcon 9 into Orbit, But Booster Recovery FAILED...
From a distance, the booster initially appeared to be descending smoothly. However, as it dropped to a more visible altitude, the entire vehicle suddenly erupted in a burst of flame. A thick plume of smoke appeared, and the booster continued falling at a dangerously high speed, clearly out of control. It ultimately struck the ground. In the distant camera view, the impact was obscured, but later photos revealed the remains of the booster burning heavily near the landing site. Judging from the final position, it fell slightly off the intended landing pad. Ironically, for a descent that looked completely uncontrolled, the booster still managed to fall surprisingly close to the target.
Given the altitude where the explosion occurred, the issue likely began at the moment the landing burn was supposed to ignite. A leak or a similar failure may have caused an immediate fire that damaged the engine and surrounding plumbing, which then cascaded into a full booster failure. We will still need to wait for official confirmation from Landspace.

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