A Zhuque-2E Y5 carrier rocket blasts off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, May 14, 2026. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)

China on Thursday successfully launched a Zhuque-2E Y5 (ZQ-2E Y5) carrier rocket into space from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China.

The carrier rocket blasted off at 11:00 a.m. (Beijing Time) and the second stage of the rocket entered its preset orbit, marking a successful flight mission.

According to the rocket developer, the Chinese private rocket company LandSpace, the rocket sent a 2.8-tonne customized test payload into the preset orbit at an altitude of 900 km.

ZQ-2E is a modified version of the company's self-developed ZQ-2 carrier rocket, which is the world's first liquid oxygen-methane rocket to enter into orbit, marking a milestone in the use of new low-cost liquid propellant for China's launch vehicles.

As a medium-class liquid-fueled carrier rocket with liquid oxygen and methane as propellant, ZQ-2E has further enhanced its heavy-payload launch capacity and acquired the engineering capability for multiple-satellite single-rocket launch missions, providing launch vehicle support for the accelerated development of satellite internet and large-scale constellation networking projects, an official at LandSpace said.

The successful completion of the ZQ-2E Y5 mission marks the maturity and stable operation of the ZQ-2 series launch vehicles, the company said in a press release.

From ZQ-2 Y1 to ZQ-2E Y5, LandSpace has continuously iterated and optimized core technologies of liquid oxygen methane launch vehicles.

It has gradually forged a development path featuring independently controllable key supporting systems and model upgrading driven by practical engineering missions, laying a solid foundation for China's subsequent high-frequency and large-scale commercial space launch tasks, the company added.