On Sunday, a Chinese rocket was launched during testing in Henan Province, located in central China.
A Chinese rocket launched unexpectedly during a ground test on Sunday, rising into the air and crashing into a nearby mountain, causing an explosion. The private company owning the rocket, Space Pioneer, reported that a "structural failure" caused the Tianlong-3 rocket to separate from its testing platform while testing its propulsion system. The incident happened at 3:43 p.m. local time at a test site in Gongyi city, located in Henan Province, central China.
After launching, the rocket's onboard computer shut down automatically, causing it to crash into a hilly area about a mile from the test site. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The crash site was far from residential areas, and the company had evacuated nearby areas in collaboration with local authorities before the test. Videos from Chinese news and social media depicted the rocket climbing briefly before losing power and plummeting, exploding near a hillside.
According to a statement on social media from the Gongyi municipal government, the rocket crash sparked a fire that was extinguished by Sunday evening.
According to Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist from the Australian National University who reviewed videos of the incident, the accident likely happened during a static fire test. This test involves igniting the engines as if preparing for launch while the rocket remains secured to the ground. Tucker noted that while such tests are typically done horizontally, some companies like SpaceX conduct them vertically. He mentioned that this type of failure is rare, with a similar incident occurring back in 1952 involving a U.S. Viking 8 rocket breaking free during a test and landing five miles away in the desert.
Dr. Tucker suggested that several factors likely contributed to this failure. He noted that while China's national space program is advanced, its commercial space industry is relatively new. The commercial sector has grown quickly, aligning with the government's expanding space goals. This year marks the first time that commercial spaceflight was highlighted as a burgeoning industry in China's annual work report, a key policy document outlining government priorities for the year.
Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, plays a significant role in China's space industry. Their Tianlong-3 rocket, currently under development, is designed specifically for constructing China's satellite internet system.
Recently, China achieved a historic milestone by retrieving rock samples from the far side of the moon, becoming the first country to do so. The nation aims to land a person on the moon by 2030, following the United States. Additionally, China has successfully launched a mission to Mars and plans future missions to asteroids.
State media reported that Space Pioneer's Tianlong-2, the predecessor to Tianlong-3, became China's first commercial liquid carrier rocket to enter orbit last year.
Space Pioneer compares Tianlong-3 to SpaceX's Falcon 9, the first reusable orbital-class rocket. Falcon 9, designed for crew and cargo transport to Earth's orbit, notably launched astronauts into orbit for the first time in 2020.
