China's SpaceX Copycat Fails: Two Rockets, Same Month, Same Desert, Same Explosion

Описание: China attempted two SpaceX-style reusable rocket landings in December 2025—both crashed spectacularly in the same desert when engines failed during final landing burns. Despite reaching orbit successfully, both the commercial Landspace Zhuque-3 and state-backed Long March 12A exploded just kilometers above ground, revealing China's struggle to master the deep-throttle engine control and rapid iteration culture that took SpaceX over a decade to develop. The failures highlight the technical and organizational gaps China faces in the race to build satellite mega-constellations for military communications and secure orbital slots before international deadlines.