A commercial Chinese rocket accidentally launched during a ground test on Sunday, soaring into the air before crashing into a nearby mountain and exploding in flames, according to the private company that owns the rocket.
The rocket's owner, Space Pioneer, said in a statement that a “structural failure” caused the Tianlong-3 rocket to separate from the test platform and lift off the launch pad while testing its propulsion system. According to the statement, the incident occurred at 3:43 pm (local time) on Sunday at a testing facility in Gongyi city, central China's Henan province.
After launch, the onboard computer automatically shut down and the rocket crashed into a hilly area 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 a residential area and that the company had worked with local authorities to evacuate the area before the test.
Footage posted on Chinese news outlets and social media showed the rocket ascending, then losing power, crashing and exploding on a nearby hill.
The Gongyi government said in a statement on social media that the fire was caused by a rocket crash and was extinguished by Sunday evening.
Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker said the accident appeared to have occurred during a static fire test. He, who reviewed video of the accident, said the engine ignites as it would for takeoff, but the rocket remains planted on the ground. It was a very routine test, he said, adding that while rockets are often horizontal, some companies, including SpaceX, have tested them vertically.
“It's so common that it's surprising that this type of failure occurs,” Dr. Tucker said. He added that the only similar accident he was aware of was in 1952, when an American Viking 8 rocket broke up and landed during a static fire test. 5 miles away in the desert.
“For this failure to happen in this way, a number of things probably went wrong,” Dr. Tucker said, adding that although China's national space program is advanced, its commercial space industry is still very young.
The commercial industry has expanded rapidly in recent years as the government’s space ambitions have grown. This year, for the first time, commercial spaceflight was listed as an emerging industry to be actively fostered in the Chinese government’s annual work report, a key policy document outlining the government’s priorities for the year.
Space Pioneer, or Beijing Tianbing Technology, is a major player in the industry. According to Space Pioneer, the Tianlong-3 rocket, the most powerful carrier rocket currently under development in China, is tailored to help build the country’s satellite internet system.
Last month, China became the first country to retrieve rock samples from the far side of the moon. China aims to put humans on the moon before 2030, making it only the second country after the United States to do so. It has also successfully launched a mission to Mars and has plans to visit an asteroid in the future.
Last year, Space Pioneer's Tianlong-2 (the predecessor of Tianlong-3) became the country's first commercial liquid-carrying rocket to successfully enter orbit, according to state media.
According to Space Pioneer, Tianlong-3 is similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9, the first orbital-class reusable rocket. The Falcon 9, designed to transport crew and cargo to Earth's orbit, became the first commercial rocket to launch astronauts into orbit in 2020.