TLDR · SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY
CHINA'S PRIVATE ROCKET MAKER JUST LANDED A BOOSTER LIKE SPACEX'S FALCON-9--HERE'S HOW THEY DID IT
Summary from the TLDR newsletter
China's LandSpace recovered the first-stage booster of its ZQ-3 rocket on its second attempt. The ZQ-3 is comparable to SpaceX's current workhorse, the Falcon 9. It has a stainless steel rocket body and liquid oxygen-methane engines, which could enable it to achieve even lower launch costs than the Falcon 9. Its landing-leg recovery method allows the rocket to be quickly refurbished and relaunched as engineers only need to maintain the rocket itself without having to repair ground recovery equipment.