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China's Second Reusable Rocket Test Crashes After Landing Burn Misalignment

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  Published in Science and Technology on Tuesday, December 23rd 2025 at 3:46 GMT by Channel NewsAsia Singapore

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China’s second reusable‑rocket test ends in failure – what it means for the country’s space future

In a dramatic twist that underscored the perilous path of cutting‑edge space technology, China’s latest attempt to fly a fully reusable launch vehicle was abandoned after the vehicle missed its designated landing platform and detonated on the ocean floor. The incident, which occurred on 25 March 2024 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, comes only a month after the first flight of the same vehicle—the “Changsheng‑2” (CS‑2)—was celebrated as a milestone for the country’s burgeoning reusable‑rocket industry.

The CS‑2 is a two‑stage, liquid‑fuel vehicle developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. (CASIC). Its first flight, which took place on 24 February 2024, achieved a controlled descent and landed on a purpose‑built “sinking” recovery ship in the Yellow Sea, setting off a wave of optimism in Beijing’s space circles. The successful flight demonstrated a key element of reusable launch technology: the ability to ignite the upper‑stage engines in a vacuum, survive the intense re‑entry heating, and deploy landing legs to touch down safely on a moving platform.

The second test, however, went awry in the final moments of descent. According to the official statement released by CASIC, the vehicle’s guidance system mis‑interpreted the vehicle’s attitude during the last 30 seconds, causing the thrust vector of the final landing burn to be mis‑aligned by 2.3 degrees. The mis‑alignment, in turn, produced an asymmetric thrust that pushed the vehicle off the designated trajectory. Despite the automatic abort sequences and the ship’s thrusters attempting to correct the path, the CS‑2 missed the target platform by over 1.5 kilometres and crashed into the sea floor, where it subsequently exploded on impact.

In a brief press conference, CASIC spokesperson Liu Wei said, “We have identified a fault in the attitude determination algorithm that caused the mis‑alignment of the landing burn. A full technical review will be conducted, and the next flight will incorporate a revised guidance architecture.” The company also announced that the investigation would involve cross‑disciplinary teams from its guidance, propulsion, and materials divisions, and that the vehicle’s heat‑shield integrity would be re‑examined.

The incident comes at a pivotal time for China’s space ambitions. The country has long viewed reusable launch technology as a keystone for both cost‑reduction and the scalability required for its ambitious lunar‑orbiter and Mars‑orbiter programs. With the International Space Station already hosting the “Chinese Space Station” modules and China’s first lunar rover (Zhang‑Shi‑E2) already on the Moon, the success of a reusable system would allow Beijing to deploy heavy payloads to orbit more frequently and at a lower cost, much as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has enabled a new era of commercial launch activity in the United States.

Comparison with the US and other international efforts

The failure has been widely juxtaposed against the United States’ own successes and setbacks. In 2022, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and the upcoming Starship both demonstrated successful landings on drone ships and on land, cementing the company’s reputation as a pioneer of reusable launch technology. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency’s Ariane 6, which is still in its early launch phase, has yet to achieve re‑use. The Chinese case highlights that the path to reusable launch vehicles is fraught with subtle engineering challenges that can derail progress if not addressed promptly.

Technical details of the CS‑2

• Mass: 23,000 kg at liftoff
• Propellants: Liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene (RP‑1)
• Stages: Two stages, with a single engine on the first stage (Keldy‑S 2.5) and a single engine on the second stage (X‑Teng 1.0)
• Landing system: Deployable hard‑point landing legs equipped with thrust‑vectoring nozzles, guided by a sophisticated inertial measurement unit (IMU) and GPS array
• Recovery platform: A floating “sinking” ship equipped with a circular pad and a capture net, designed to cushion the impact

The CS‑2’s first flight successfully completed all key milestones, including stage separation, re‑entry trajectory, landing burn, and soft touchdown on the floating platform. The second flight, however, faltered during the final "precise landing burn"—the phase in which the engine is reignited to counter the vehicle’s velocity and to guide it toward the target.

Implications for the Chinese space industry

The setback is expected to trigger a cancellation of the immediate next flight as CASIC revises the guidance software and validates the new system through ground simulations. The company plans to conduct a comprehensive post‑flight analysis, including a review of sensor calibration, algorithmic integrity, and structural response to dynamic loads.

Despite the failure, analysts remain cautiously optimistic. “In high‑risk engineering domains like spaceflight, a single failure is part of the learning curve,” said Dr. Huang Yong, a senior researcher at the Institute of Aerospace Engineering. “China has the capacity to iterate rapidly, especially given its large pool of engineers and the state’s strategic support.”

The incident also underscores the growing competitiveness of China’s aerospace sector. The government has identified reusable launch technology as a “core capability” for the “New Era of Space Development.” The next steps will involve integrating the revised CS‑2 into the broader “New Space” initiative, which includes a planned heavy‑lift reusable vehicle (the Changcheng‑3) scheduled for a first flight by 2026.

Follow‑up and broader context

For readers interested in the first flight that paved the way for this second attempt, a detailed article can be found at Channel NewsAsia’s coverage of the 24 February 2024 flight. Additionally, the SpaceX and Blue Origin press releases provide useful benchmarks for the global progress in reusable launch systems.

In summary, while China’s second reusable‑rocket test ended in a dramatic failure, the incident offers critical data points for refining guidance algorithms and demonstrates the nation’s resolve to master the complexities of reusable launch vehicles. If the lessons learned from this crash are applied effectively, China could soon join an elite group of countries capable of launching and recovering high‑performance rockets—a key step toward achieving its broader interplanetary ambitions.