In a startling incident, a private Chinese rocket company's static fire test made global headlines when it lunched accidently.
DRONE FOOTAGE OF CHINA'S ACCIDENTAL ROCKET LAUNCHSpace Pioneer, a Beijing-based firm, was conducting a routine ground test of its new Tianlong-3 rocket in Gongyi, a city in China's central Henan province, when the mishap occurred.
This is apparently what was supposed to be a STATIC FIRE TEST today of a Tianlong-3 first stage by China's Space Pioneer.
This incident raises questions about safety protocols and the challenges faced by private companies in China's growing commercial space sector.
As investigations begin, the impact of this accident on Space Pioneer's development timeline and the broader Chinese private space industry remains to be seenPublished By: Sibu Kumar Tripathi Published On: Jul 3, 2024
In a startling incident, a private Chinese rocket company's static fire test made global headlines when it lunched accidently.
The rocket was not planned to lift-off, but it did and now a drone footage of the test reveals the moments of the accidental test fire before it crashed.
DRONE FOOTAGE OF CHINA'S ACCIDENTAL ROCKET LAUNCH
Space Pioneer, a Beijing-based firm, was conducting a routine ground test of its new Tianlong-3 rocket in Gongyi, a city in China's central Henan province, when the mishap occurred.
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T , took an unexpected turn when the anchoring mechanism failed. This structural failure caused the rocket to separate from its testing platform and lift off unexpectedly.
The Tianlong-3, whose name translates to "Heavenly Dragon," soared into the sky for approximately 50 seconds before crashing into a nearby hilly area.
Eyewitnesses captured dramatic footage of the rocket's descent and the resulting explosion upon impact. The fireball created by the crash was visible from a considerable distance, highlighting the severity of the incident. Fortunately, despite the spectacular nature of the accident, no injuries were reported. Local emergency management officials confirmed that precautionary evacuations had been carried out in the vicinity prior to the test.
Wow. This is apparently what was supposed to be a STATIC FIRE TEST today of a Tianlong-3 first stage by China's Space Pioneer. That's catastrophic, not static. Firm was targeting an orbital launch in the coming months. https://t.co/BY9MgJeE7A pic.twitter.com/L6ronwLW1N — Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) June 30, 2024
Space Pioneer, which had previously achieved success with its Tianlong-2 rocket reaching orbit in April 2023, was developing the Tianlong-3 as a more powerful and partially reusable launch vehicle. The new rocket was designed to carry up to 17 tons of payload to low Earth orbit, a significant increase from its predecessor's 2-ton capacity.
The company stated that the onboard computer system initiated an automatic shutdown after the unintended liftoff, causing the rocket to fall about 1.5 kilometers southwest of the testing site.
This incident raises questions about safety protocols and the challenges faced by private companies in China's growing commercial space sector.
As investigations begin, the impact of this accident on Space Pioneer's development timeline and the broader Chinese private space industry remains to be seen
Published By: Sibu Kumar Tripathi Published On: Jul 3, 2024
