Malfunctioning Chinese rocket Tianlong-3 launches itself, crashes in Gongyi hills
Tianlong-3
A rocket belonging to a private Chinese firm crashed into a hilly area in central China after malfunctioning and launching by itself on Sunday (June 30).
Beijing Tianbing Technology Co, also known as Space Pioneer, in a statement on Sunday said that the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket experienced a structural failure during a test. This, the company said, caused it to detach from its launch pad and crash in a hilly area in Gongyi, central China.
Space Pioneer explained that the first stage of the Tianlong-3 ignited as expected during a hot test, but then detached from the test bench because of structural failure, landing about 1.5 km (0.93 miles) away in hilly terrain.
Were there any casualties?
As per Reuters, initial investigations revealed no casualties. However, the crash did cause a fire.
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In a statement on its official WeChat account, Space Pioneer detailed that parts of the rocket stage were scattered within a designated "safe area," but caused a local fire.
The fire was extinguished, reported Gongyi emergency management bureau. It also confirmed that there were no injuries.
While falling rocket debris in China is not uncommon, it is rare for a rocket under development to make an unintended flight and crash outside its test site.
These sites are typically located along China's coast for safety reasons. However, some, like the Space Pioneer's facility, are situated inland. Their test centre is in Gongyi, a city of 800,000 people in the central province of Henan.
Tianlong-3
Tianlong-3, which means "Sky Dragon 3," is a partly reusable two-stage rocket that is being developed by Space Pioneer. The company claims that the Tianlong-3 is comparable to SpaceX's Falcon 9, a two-stage rocket. Previously, in April 2023, Space Pioneer achieved a milestone by launching the Tianlong-2, a kerosene-oxygen rocket, making it the first private Chinese firm to send a liquid-propellant rocket into space.
(With inputs from agencies)
