China's Zhuque-2 methane-powered rocket. (Source: Everyday Astronaut)

The 49.5-meter-long Zhuque-2 rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 9 p.m. on July 11.

Landspace and Chinese state media reported that the Zhuque-2 rocket reached orbit, making it the world's first methane-fueled vehicle to reach outer space.

This information was later verified using US Space Force space tracking data, which showed that the rocket was in a Sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 97.3 degrees.

The Zhuque-2 rocket was launched without a payload (cargo) and the first stage of the rocket detached without being recovered.

The rocket has a diameter of 3.35 m and a take-off mass of 219 tons.

Zhuque-2 is equipped with engines that generate 268 tons of thrust. Future Zhuque-2 launches with upgraded engines will be capable of delivering 6,000 kg payloads to low Earth orbit (about 200 km above the ground).

Zhuque-2 has “outperformed” a series of other methane-powered rockets, including SpaceX’s Starship; ULA’s Vulcan; Blue Origin’s New Glenn; Rocket Lab’s Neutron; and Relativity Space’s Terran R in the race to orbit. Those vehicles are larger and have a much larger payload capacity than Zhuque-2.

The propellant mixture of liquid oxygen and methane gives the Zhuque-2 an advantage in performance, and the rocket is reusable.

The successful launch makes Landspace the second Chinese company to successfully launch a rocket into orbit using a liquid-fueled rocket. This follows the success of China's Space Pioneer with the Tianlong-2 rocket in April this year.

Landspace has begun assembling the third Zhuque-2 rocket, suggesting another launch could take place before the end of the year.

Landspace CEO Zhang Changwu told the Chinese-language Global Times that the company can now begin mass production of the Zhuque-2 after finalizing its design.

Space Pioneer said it has many orders to launch Thien Long-2 and aims to launch Thien Long-3 in the first half of 2024.

These achievements demonstrate the groundbreaking and growing maturity of China's efforts in launching commercial rockets into space.