Next-generation methane rocket to be more powerful

ZQ 3 will be made of stainless steel, with its first stage designed to be reusable

LandSpace, a leading Chinese private space company, has unveiled design details for its ZQ 3 carrier rocket, which the company said will be made primarily of stainless steel.

The Beijing-based rocket maker said the ZQ 3 will be 76.6 meters tall and 4.5 meters wide, and will weigh nearly 660 metric tons when fully fueled.

With a liftoff thrust of 900 tons, it will be able to transport spacecraft with a combined weight of 21.3 tons to a low-Earth orbit.