A Chinese commercial rocket was accidentally launched during a ground test on Sunday, rising into the air before crashing into a nearby mountain and exploding in flames, the privately owned company said. rocket speak.
The rocket’s owner Space Pioneer said in a statement that the Tianlong-3 rocket separated from the test stand while its booster system was being tested and was lifted off the launch pad due to a “structural fault.” 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.
The statement said that after launch, the onboard computer automatically turned off and the rocket fell into a mountainous area about 1 mile from the test site. No one was injured, the statement said, adding that the accident site was far from residential areas and that the company worked with local authorities before the test to evacuate nearby areas.
Videos posted by Chinese media and social networks appeared to show the missile rising before losing power and falling, exploding on a nearby hill.
Gongyi city government said in a statement. social media statement that the missile collision caused a fire and that the fire was extinguished by Sunday evening.
Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University who reviewed video of the crash, said the crash appeared to occur during a static firing test, when the engine was ignited as if preparing to take off but the rocket is still firmly fixed on the ground. He said this was a very routine test, adding that while it is usually done with rockets horizontally, some companies, including SpaceX, have done vertical testing .
“It is so common that it is surprising that such incidents occur,” said Dr Tucker, adding that the only other similar accident he knew of occurred in 1952 when a The US Viking 8 missile ejected during a static firing test and landed in the desert five miles away.
“There are many things that could have gone wrong for this failure to happen as it did,” Dr. Tucker said, adding that although China’s national space program has progressed, The country’s commercial space industry is still quite young.
That commercial industry has expanded rapidly in recent years alongside the government’s growing space ambitions. This year, for the first time, commercial space flight was listed as an emerging industry actively promoted by the Chinese government annual work reportA major policy document outlining the government’s priorities for the year.
Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, is a major player in that industry. The Tianlong-3 rocket, the most powerful booster currently being developed in China, was built specifically to help build the country’s satellite internet system, according to Space Pioneer.
Last month, China became the first country take rock samples from the far side of the moon. It aims to send humans to the moon before 2030, which would make it the second country to do so after the United States. And it worked launched a mission to Mars and there are plans for one Future visit to an asteroid.
Last year, Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-2 – the predecessor to the Tianlong-3 – became the country’s first commercial liquid-fueled rocket to successfully enter orbit. according to state media.
According to Space Pioneer, Tianlong-3 is comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, the first reusable rocket in orbit. Designed to transport crew and cargo into Earth orbit, Falcon 9 became the first commercial rocket to put astronauts into orbit in 2020.
