China just Successfully Launched SpaceX Clone Falcon 9 into Orbit, But Booster Recovery FAILED...

What a moment to take in. China has failed its first attempt to land a reusable methane rocket, adding yet another setback to a long list of imitation efforts that have not succeeded. So, the question is simple. What comes next? In a completely unexpected development, a Crew 12 cosminaut has been grounded for violating national security laws, marking one of the most unusual personnel decisions in recent space flight history. And while all this is unfolding, the ISS has quietly set a new record for the number of docked spacecraft at one time. Let's explore these stories on today's episode of Great SpaceX. You may be wondering why China's copycat rockets are drawing so much attention. Zuche is the rocket family developed by Landspace, a private Chinese aerospace company. In July and December of 2023, Zuche 2 made history as the first methane and liquid oxygen rocket to reach orbit and successfully deploy payloads. After those milestones, Landspace completed three additional missions with the upgraded Zhu 2e variant. Two flights succeeded and one failed. Despite these achievements, the second generation of Zhu rockets shared the same limitation. None of them could be reused. Reusability is only being attempted with the new Zhu 3. Now, let's return to the most recent mission. This attempt had already been delayed once due to an unspecified issue. Based on the limited footage available, the ascent phase appeared to proceed normally. Shuay 3 stands about 66 meters tall and is powered by nine tianu 12A engines that generate a roughly 730 tons of thrust. Everything seemed stable until the booster began its descent. From a distance, the booster initially appeared to be descending smoothly. However, as it dropped to a more visible altitude, the entire vehicle suddenly erupted in a burst of flame. A thick plume of smoke appeared and the booster continued falling at a dangerously high speed, clearly out of control. It ultimately struck the ground. In the distant camera view, the impact was obscured, but later photos revealed the remains of the booster burning heavily near the landing site. Judging from the final position, it fell slightly off the intended landing pad. Ironically, for a descent that looked completely uncontrolled, the booster still managed to fall surprisingly close to the target. Given the altitude where the explosion occurred, the issue likely began at the moment the landing burn was supposed to ignite. A leak or a similar failure may have caused an immediate fire that damaged the engine and surrounding plumbing, which then cascaded into a full booster failure. We will still need to wait for official confirmation from landspace. Two major points defined this mission. The first was the separation and orbital insertion of the upper stage. That part of the flight has already been declared a success, which means Zhu 3 did its primary job of placing the upper stage on its path to orbit. In that sense, it matched the achievements of Zuwaye 2. However, the feature that was meant to set 3 apart, which is booster recovery, failed. Returning a booster from high altitude is incredibly difficult. SpaceX performs these recoveries so frequently that many people forget how challenging they truly are. What looks routine for SpaceX remains an enormous hurdle for the rest of the world. In fact, this mission produced results similar to Blue Origin's first New Glenn flight. That rocket successfully reached orbit and deployed payloads. Yet, the booster recovery failed. Although the vehicles are different, the outcome is remarkably similar. So, another one of SpaceX's emerging challengers has stumbled. As many pointed out, Zhu 3 is an aggressive attempt to combine SpaceX's design philosophies. Its size and overall shape resemble Falcon 9, while its stainless steel structure and methane fuel mirror Starship. The goal was to create an affordable reusable launcher based on what has already worked for SpaceX. That plan has now hit its first major setback. Because of this failure, Landspace will need to conduct a lengthy investigation and redesign effort. The next launch attempt will almost certainly not occur for at least the first 3 months of next year, which is a delay compared to their earlier ambitions. Beyond the technical issues, Landspace also faces a long-term strategic problem. By borrowing so heavily from SpaceX's designs, they risk becoming overshadowed the moment Starship reaches consistent operational performance. If Lancepace wants long-term commercial success, it must find a way to differentiate itself instead of relying solely on imitation. However, SpaceX should not underestimate this competitor. Landspace along with China's broader commercial space sector is determined to master reusable methane rockets. If they succeed, Zuche 3 could become a dependable vehicle for commercial missions, including resupply flights to the Chong Gong space station. If they accelerate their test cadence, the rocket could fly frequently next year as they refine its recovery systems and build orbital experience. This makesh 3 an important new competitor in the Methalox race. SpaceX has already demonstrated launch, return, and landing operations along with partial recovery using the Mechazilla arms. Blue Origin has finally reached orbit with New Glenn. Now, Zuway 3 has entered the arena with a mix of success and major failure. And early next year, Rocket Labs Neutron, which has a unique recovery approach of its own, will add yet another contender. Even without counting other rockets in development, the Methalox competition alone, is shaping up to be one of the most exciting stories of 2026. What are your thoughts on 3's debut? Let's continue the discussion in the comments down below. Next, we move on to an update about the unprecedented turmoil unfolding within the Crew 12 astronaut team. This situation has developed around a Russian crew member, and once again, Russia finds itself at the center of major controversy. After dealing with a recent launchpad incident, the Russian space program is now facing a completely different and far more sensitive problem. The issue concerns Oleg Artomv, the veteran cosminaut who was originally assigned to fly on the crew 12 mission alongside three other astronauts. In a sudden and unexpected decision, Oleg was removed from the crew. According to multiple reports, especially investigations by the insider, the removal was triggered by a serious violation of US national security regulations. The claim is that Oleg breached ITAR, which stands for international traffic and arms regulations. This is a US law designed to protect sensitive technology and information that could impact national security. The reports suggest that Oleg used his personal phone to take photographs of SpaceX engines and internal company documents. He allegedly then took his phone along with the captured information outside the secure facility. The insider published a statement in Russian that roughly translates to, "The cosminaut allegedly photographed SpaceX documentation and then took out secret information on the phone." According to their sources, the incident occurred last week. The popular Telegram channel URA I'm sorry, which often reports on cosminaut activities, stated that Oleg had been suspended during training at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Launch analyst Gregory Trishkin weighed in with strong criticism. He stated, "My contacts confirmed that a violation occurred and an interdep departmental investigation has been launched. Removing someone from a mission 2 and a half months before launch without a clear explanation is unusual, but it's telling. It's very difficult to imagine a situation in which an experienced cosminaut could inadvertently commit such a gross violation. This is indeed alarming, especially given Armyv's long and distinguished career. He is not a newcomer. He has accumulated 560 days in space over the course of three long duration missions to the ISS with launches in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Any professional with his level of experience is expected to understand the seriousness of security protocols, especially within US facilities. The situation becomes even more significant when viewed through the lens of international cooperation. Oleg's presence on Crew 12 and the presence of Russian cosminauts on American spacecraft in general is part of a long-standing seat swap agreement between NASA and Roscosmos. The arrangement ensures that both nations always have crew members aboard the ISS, even if one country experiences technical or scheduling setbacks. It's a partnership built on trust, stability, and mutual dependence. A violation of this magnitude threatens to strain that cooperation. Concerns have also been amplified by Oleg's political background. He is reportedly a deputy within the Moscow Regional Parliament and a member of the United Russia Party, which is led by President Vladimir Putin. During a time of heightened global tensions, this added detail has intensified scrutiny surrounding the case. Ross Cosmos has since released a statement announcing that cosminaut Andre Fedv will replace Oleg Artamev on Crew 12. Their official message stated, "This decision was made in connection with Oleg Artamev's transfer to another job." The wording avoids directly addressing the allegations, but the timing speaks for itself. SpaceX has not issued a public statement yet. However, it's clear that the company narrowly avoided a serious breach of proprietary engine technology and internal documentation. For a company that has redefined the aerospace industry, such information is extremely valuable and must be protected at all costs. Despite this unsettling development, one can only hope that it does not damage the long-standing cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos. The ISS remains one of humanity's greatest symbols of unity and shared purpose in space. It's crucial that this partnership continues to operate with stability, trust, and respect so the ISS can remain a shining example of what nations can accomplish together. Speaking of, let's take a closer look at the new record set by the ISS. As we all know, the ISS is an international partnership, so it regularly receives a wide range of visiting vehicles. However, what is happening right now is something that has never occurred before. This appears to be the absolute limit of what the ISS can currently support. In a report released on the first of this month, NASA confirmed that all eight docking ports are now occupied. Based on NASA's images, the lineup includes a SpaceX cargo dragon from the CRS33 mission, a crew dragon from crew 11, a north of Grumman Signis cargo vehicle for the Signis 23 mission, four Russian spacecraft that includes Soyuse MS27,28 Progress 92 and 93, as well as Japan's new HTVX1 spacecraft from JAXA. This marks the first time in the station's history, which began with construction in 98, that every port has been filled simultaneously. The station became so full that controllers had to temporarily relocate a robotic cargo spacecraft to make room for an arriving crew vehicle. NASA astronaut Chris Williams along with Sergey Kutmirkov and Sergey MV of Ross Cosmos reached the station on Thanksgiving Day aboard Soyuse MS28 for an 8month mission. After they docked at the Rasvet module, controllers reinstalled Signis 23 at the Earth-facing port of the Unity module. Another Soyuse, the MS-27 remains attached to the Russian Precal module. Meanwhile, the two Dragons occupy the remaining visiting ports on Harmony. The CRS33 Dragon is secured at Harmony's forward port, while the Crew 11 Dragon is stationed at the spacefacing port. Although Harmony has six ports in total, three are permanently used as connection points to the Destiny, Columbus, and KBO modules. All of this activity highlights the ISS's continued importance as a living laboratory and a symbol of global cooperation in space. It also serves as a reminder that the station's final years are approaching, so each milestone carries even greater significance. In any case, folks, this has been Kevin with Great SpaceX. Don't forget to like the video and subscribe if you haven't already to stay up to date with yours truly on the latest milestones in SpaceX's journey. Thank you so much for watching and always remember, curiosity, imagination, and inspiration will follow you so long as you keep looking up.