A commercial Chinese rocket experienced an accidental launch during a ground test, leading to a dramatic sequence of events. The Tianlong-3 rocket, owned by the private company Space Pioneer, encountered a “structural failure” while its propulsion system was being tested, causing it to disconnect from the testing platform and lift off unexpectedly from the launchpad.
According to a statement by Space Pioneer, the incident took place at 3:43 p.m. local time on Sunday at a test facility in Gongyi city, located in central China’s Henan Province. Following the launch, the onboard computer initiated an automatic shutdown, resulting in the rocket plummeting into a hilly area approximately one mile away from the test site. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, with the crash site being situated far from residential areas. Prior to the test, the company had collaborated with local authorities to evacuate nearby regions as a precaution.
Videos circulating on Chinese news media and social platforms captured the rocket’s ascent before it abruptly lost power and crashed into a nearby hill, erupting into flames upon impact.
Space Pioneer and China’s Space Exploration
Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, is a prominent entity within China’s expanding commercial space industry, which has seen significant growth in parallel with the country’s increasing space endeavors. The Tianlong-3 rocket, designed by Space Pioneer, plays a crucial role in the development of China’s satellite internet system.
China recently achieved a milestone by retrieving rock samples from the far side of the moon, solidifying its position as a key player in space exploration. With ambitions to land a human on the moon by 2030, China aims to follow in the footsteps of the United States as the second nation to accomplish this feat. The country has also made strides in Mars exploration and has plans for future asteroid visits.
Last year, Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-2, the predecessor to Tianlong-3, made history as China’s first commercial liquid carrier rocket to successfully enter orbit, as reported by state media.
Space Pioneer describes Tianlong-3 as the most potent carrier rocket currently under development in China, drawing comparisons to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, the groundbreaking reusable rocket that has revolutionized space travel. Falcon 9, renowned for transporting both crew and cargo into Earth’s orbit, made history in 2020 as the first commercial rocket to launch astronauts into space.
