Zhuque-2E Block 2 | Mass Simulator
2.8 tonnes Mass Simulator launched to a 900 km polar orbit on a test flight proving further upgrades to the ZQ-2E, including a longer 1st stage and engine upgrades.
Zhuque-2E (E stands for “enhanced”) is a medium-sized rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane capable of lifting 6,000 kg of payload into a 200 km low Earth orbit, or 4,000 kg of payload into a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit. It differs from the baseline Zhuque-2 in using enhanced TQ-12A engines on the 1st stage with higher thrust and specific impulse than the original TQ-12, and a new TQ-15A engine on the 2nd stage that has a moveable nozzle. The Block 2 variant lengthens the 1st stage with more propellant load and a lighter structure, plus engines with still more increased thrust to reach the capabilities listed above.
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Mission Profile
Mass Simulator was a Zhuque-2E Block 2 mission operated by LandSpace that lifted off from Launch Area 96A, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on May 14, 2026. The flight carried its payload on a test flight mission to Polar Orbit. The launch was a success.
LandSpace’s Zhuque-2E flight Y5 (COSPAR 2026-105) successfully launched an experimental test mass to a sun-synchronous/polar orbit from Jiuquan Site 96 on 14 May 2026 at 03:00 UTC. This was the maiden flight of the Zhuque-2E Block 2 subvariant, which introduced a lengthened first stage and improved takeoff thrust and stands 55.9 m tall versus Block 1’s 47.8 m. The vehicle uses four TQ-12A first-stage engines (each ~828 kN sea-level thrust) and a TQ-15A second-stage engine (~858 kN vacuum thrust).
Zhuque-2E Y6 launched Qianfan DTC 01 / China Mobile 02 to a sun-synchronous orbit on 9 June 2026, the second flight of ZQ-2E Block 2.