# Zhuque-2

Zhuque-2 (Chinese: 朱雀二号; pinyin: Zhūquè èr hào; lit. 'Vermilion Bird-2', ZQ-2) is a Chinese medium-class orbital launch vehicle developed by LandSpace. It is a liquid-fuelled rocket powered by liquid oxygen and liquid methane (methalox) and was the first methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit.

## Design

Zhuque-2 has a liftoff weight of 216 tonnes and uses 4 TQ-12 methalox engines in the first stage, each with a thrust of 67 tonnes-force (660 kN). The second stage uses one vacuum-optimized TQ-12 with a thrust of 80 tonnes-force (780 kN) in combination with a TQ-11 engine (8 tonnes-force (78 kN) thrust), which acts as a vernier thruster.
Zhuque-2 is capable of lifting 6,000 kg of payload into a 200 km low Earth orbit and 4,000 kg of payload into a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit.

## History

In May 2019, LandSpace performed test firings of its liquid-methane and liquid-oxygen fuelled TQ-12 rocket engine at its test facility at Huzhou, Zhejiang province. LandSpace's head of research and development, Ge Minghe, says that the engine has a thrust of 80 tonnes-force. The Huzhou facility will be able to produce about 15 ZQ-2 rockets and 200 TQ-12 engines starting in 2022, according to CEO, Zhang Changwu.
On 14 December 2022, LandSpace conducted the debut flight of Zhuque-2, but failed to reach orbit due to an early shutdown of its second-stage vernier engines after the second-stage main engines apparently completed a successful burn. It was the world's first orbital launch attempt by a methane-fueled launch vehicle.
In March 2023, LandSpace confirmed that the second Zhuque-2 launch vehicle had completed assembly and was undergoing preparations for a launch attempt in the coming months.
On 12 July 2023, Zhuque-2 became the first methane-fueled launch vehicle to reach orbit after a successful second flight.

### 2E

An enhanced version of the rocket, the Zhuque-2E, successfully placed two satellites into orbit on 27 November 2024. The new version of the rocket differs from the initial variant by featuring a common bulkhead tank structure, a new TQ-15A liquid oxygen and methane engine with thrust vectoring capabilities on the second stage, and a new niobium alloy nozzle extension on the enhanced TQ-15A engine.

## Launches

| Flight No. | Rocket, serial | Date and time (UTC) | Payload | Orbit | Launch site | Outcome |
| 1 | Zhuque-2 Y1 | 14 December 2022 08:30 | Various | SSO | Jiuquan, Site 96 | Failure |
| Maiden Flight of Zhuque-2. Vernier engines failed during second-stage main-engine shutdown due to excessive forces damaging liquid-oxygen feed line. First launch vehicle using liquid methane propellant to reach space (100 km altitude). ||||||
| 2 | Zhuque-2 Y2 | 12 July 2023 01:00 | No payload (Flight test) | SSO | Jiuquan, Site 96 | Success |
| First launch vehicle using liquid methane propellant to reach orbit. ||||||
| 3 | Zhuque-2 Y3 | 8 December 2023 23:39 | Honghu-1 Honghu-2 Tianyi 33 | SSO | Jiuquan, Site 96 | Success |
| First methane launch vehicle to launch payloads into orbit. Last launch of Zhuque-2, Future launches will happen on upgraded Zhuque-2E. ||||||
| 4 | Zhuque-2E Y1 | 27 November 2024 02:00 | Guangchuan 01 Guangchuan 02 | LEO | Jiuquan, Site 96 | Success |
| Maiden flight of Zhuque-2E, featuring a second stage without vernier thrusters. ||||||