- Methane-fueled rocket completes first flight of extended configuration
- Return-to-flight marks step forward after 2025 launch failure
Chinese private space company LandSpace (蓝箭航天) successfully launched its ZQ-2E Y5 carrier rocket on May 14, completing the first flight of its upgraded long-body configuration and marking a return to missions after a setback in 2025.
The rocket lifted off at 11:00 a.m. local time from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation test zone in Inner Mongolia’s Alxa League, Ejin Banner, and completed all planned flight operations, according to the company.
The mission placed a 2.8-ton customized experimental payload designed for large satellite constellation deployment into a 900-kilometer orbit.
The ZQ-2E Y5 is an upgraded two-stage liquid oxygen-methane rocket featuring an extended design, developed through iterative system-level improvements based on earlier models.
The vehicle measures 55.9 meters in length, with a core diameter of 3.35 meters and a maximum fairing diameter of 4.2 meters. It has a liftoff mass of 267 tons (excluding payload) and a liftoff thrust of 338 tons.
The launch marks the debut of the extended configuration of the ZQ-2E series, indicating a breakthrough in heavier payload capacity for the model.
The rocket is capable of carrying 4 tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit and 6 tons to low Earth orbit, making it one of China’s leading operational methane-fueled medium-lift launch vehicles.
The company said the Y5 mission introduced several new technologies. These include an elongated first-stage tank combined with subcooled propellant loading, increasing propellant capacity by about 15%.
Weight-saving measures were also applied, including partial removal of insulation materials and optimization of cable routing.
In guidance and flight control, the mission used a three-burn second-stage ignition sequence for the first time in a Chinese commercial launch, designed to improve high-orbit transfer capability and support space-debris mitigation requirements.
The first stage also introduced onboard engine fault detection and self-correction systems, while the second stage incorporated a propellant utilization system capable of responding to in-flight anomalies.
This combination reflects what the company described as progress toward
“intelligent launch vehicles.”
The flight also marked the ZQ-2E’s return to service following the failure of the Y3 mission in August 2025.
The successful launch comes as China’s state-backed and private launch providers seek to expand capacity amid growing demand for satellite constellation deployment.
Zhang Xiaodong, chief designer of LandSpace’s ZQ-3 rocket, previously estimated that global constellation-scale deployment could require around 500 medium and heavy-lift launches annually over the next 7–10 years.
LandSpace said the ZQ-2E series can support multiple mission profiles, including multi-satellite launches and large constellation deployments, and can operate alongside the company’s upcoming reusable ZQ-3 rocket.
LandSpace added that recovery testing for the ZQ-3 program has entered a key phase, with another test expected in the second quarter and a first reuse attempt targeted for the fourth quarter.
The launch also highlights Zhejiang’s role in China’s commercial space supply chain.
The rocket’s engines were developed and manufactured in Huzhou, while final assembly took place in Jiaxing before the vehicle was transported more than 3,000 kilometers to the launch site in Inner Mongolia.
LandSpace said it has formed a vertically integrated aerospace manufacturing system in Zhejiang, covering development, production and assembly of its launch vehicles.
