By Bloomberg News
Beijing-based startup LandSpace Technology Corp. scored another success by sending a second rocket powered by a methane-based fuel into space.
The rocket, ZQ-2, took off at 7:39 a.m. Saturday Beijing time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi Desert, the company said in a statement.
LandSpace sent the world’s first methane-fueled rocket into orbit in July, beating Western rivals including Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Read More: Chinese Startup Beats Musk With Launch of First Methane Rocket
SpaceX and others have been developing rockets that can use methane-based fuel, which has potential to be cleaner and safer than solid propellants, liquid hydrogen and other fuels currently used.
Saturday’s launch was the first commercial mission of the ZQ-2, carrying three locally made satellites. The rocket had been transported to the launch area on Dec. 1, waiting for the right conditions for takeoff, the company said on Weibo.
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The launch was part of a collaboration between privately owned LandSpace and toy designer Pop Mart International Group Ltd., which had its logo on the rocket’s exterior. As of June, Hong Kong-listed Pop Mart had 340 stores in mainland China and 55 others offshore.
Read More: Chinese Rocket Startup Resumes Launches After Its First Failure
LandSpace is developing a reusable rocket and expects a test flight in 2025, Chief Executive Officer Zhang Changwu told local media outlet Yicai in July.