A Chinese commercial rocket accidentally launched during a ground test on Sunday, crashed into a nearby mountain and exploded and caught fire. explain.
Aerospace Pioneer, the owner of the Tianlong-3 rocket, said in a statement that the Tianlong-3 rocket separated from the test platform during the propulsion system test and launch due to a “structural failure.” The statement said the accident occurred at 3:43 p.m. local time on Sunday at a test facility in Gongyi City, Henan Province, central China.
After launch, the rocket’s onboard computer automatically shut down and the rocket fell into hilly terrain about a mile from the test site, the statement said. No one was injured, the statement said, adding that the crash site was far from residential areas and the company had worked with local authorities to evacuate nearby areas before the test.
Videos posted by Chinese news outlets and on social media appeared to show the rocket losing power during its ascent and falling, before exploding on a nearby hill.
The Tianlong-3 is the most powerful launch vehicle currently under development in China, according to Space Pioneer. The company says it is comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, the first orbital-class reusable rocket. Designed to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Falcon 9 became the first commercial rocket to carry astronauts into orbit in 2020.
