A private Chinese space firm successfully sent its Zhuque-3 rocket to orbit but failed in its historic attempt to re-land the rocket booster Wednesday – the first such trial by a Chinese firm as the country’s growing commercial space sector races to catch up with American rivals like SpaceX.Beijing-based LandSpace, one of the sector’s leading firms, launched its Zhuque-3 rocket into space from a remote, desert launch site in northwestern China.The rocket entered orbit as planned, but its first stage – the portion of the vehicle that propels it at liftoff – did not successfully return to a landing site, instead crashing down, the company said in a statement.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“An anomaly occurred after the first-stage engine ignited during the landing phase, preventing a soft landing on the designated recovery pad,” the statement said. “The debris landed at the edge of the recovery area, resulting in a failed recovery test.”The team would “conduct a comprehensive review” and continue to “advance the verification and application of reusable rocket technology in future missions,” the statement added.Even though unsuccessful, the trial has placed the company at the head of a pack of Chinese firms vying to develop reusable rocket technology within a growing commercial space sector that Beijing hopes will power its competition with global rivals and help transform the country into a “strong aerospace nation.”Reusable rockets are seen as key, because the technology can significantly lower the cost and turn-around time of rocket launches – a distinct advantage as global firms race to build out satellite networks and eye a futu …
