Chinese missile crashes into mountain

The incident occurred when the first stage of the Tianlong 3 rocket lifted off from the launch pad during a test and landed in a mountainous area in Gongyi City, Henan Province, central China. Video showed the rocket flying straight into the air, then losing thrust and spinning sideways, falling to the forest floor and exploding, causing a fire to break out.

“Due to a structural failure in the connection between the rocket body and the test stand, the first stage separated from the launch pad. After liftoff, the onboard computer automatically shut down and the rocket fell into a deep mountain area 1.5 km southwest of the test stand. The rocket body fell into the mountain and broke apart,” Space Pioneer said. According to the company, no one was injured because the area had been evacuated before the test.

Space Pioneer is a private company that specializes in manufacturing liquid-fueled rockets. In April 2023, the company successfully launched the Tianlong 2 rocket, becoming the first Chinese commercial launch company to put a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit.

Tianlong 3 is a large liquid-fuel rocket developed to serve the construction of China’s satellite Internet network. Tianlong 3 has two stages and is partially reusable.

A rocket can have multiple stages, the first or bottom stage fires and propels the rocket into the air. When the fuel runs out, this stage falls off and the second stage fires, continuing to provide thrust for the rocket.

The performance of the Tianlong 3 is comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, also a two-stage rocket, according to Space Pioneer. The company also said it will be able to launch the rocket more than 30 times a year after its first successful flight.

China’s commercial space companies have grown rapidly since 2014, when the government allowed private investment in the sector. Many have started building satellites, while others, including Space Pioneer, have focused on developing reusable rockets to help reduce launch costs. Many of these companies’ test sites are near the sea for safety reasons. But some are also located further inland, such as Space Pioneer’s test center in Gongyi, a city of 800,000.