China's new technology rocket catches fire

On June 30, Space Pioneer conducted a test launch of the first stage of the Tianlong-3 rocket from a test site in Gongyi County, Henan Province.

Video footage recorded by locals and posted on social media shows the rocket stage flying unsteadily before bursting into flames and crashing to the ground, just 50 seconds after launch.

Space Pioneer is conducting tests to prepare for the launch of the Tianlong-3 into orbit. Its partially reusable rocket has been compared to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Space Pioneer previously said it had raised an additional $207 million in funding.

The Shanghai-based newspaper The Paper quoted Henan officials as saying that the incident did not cause any casualties. Space Pioneer said a structural failure at the connection between the two parts caused the explosion.

A SpaceX Starship super-heavy rocket prototype explodes during a test in 2020.

The incident occurred after China's Chang'e-6 spacecraft returned from a mission to the dark side of the Moon, carrying samples.

There was also another incident recently when a hypergolic rocket stage fell into a densely populated area of ​​China.

It is unclear how the June 30 failure will affect Space Pioneer's efforts to fulfill its goal of reaching space.

Space Pioneer said it will analyze and restart hardware testing as soon as possible.

The failure could have broader implications for China's private space race efforts.

The slowdown in Tianlong-3 development could also affect China’s plans for developing super satellites. The country needs to improve its ability to access space and launch objects into space to form satellite constellations.

Binh Giang

According to Space News