A video went viral showing the moment a Chinese space rocket accidentally crashed into a mountain shortly after launch on Sunday.
The Tianlong-3 (“Sky Dragon-3”) rocket was mistakenly launched during what was supposed to be a ground test of the spacecraft’s booster.
The two-stage Cheonlong-3 is a partially reusable rocket being developed by Space Pioneer, a rival of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The Cheonlong-3 rocket is a rival to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 spacecraft.
During ground testing, the Cheonlong-3 space rocket unintentionally detached from the launch pad test stand due to a structural failure. The failed launch was scheduled to be a routine launch.Static electricity fireThe spacecraft reportedly remained on the launch pad while the rocket’s engines were shut down.
dramatic video The video shows the space rocket launching, then losing power and curving sideways a few seconds later. The rocket is then seen falling horizontally out of the sky. It eventually crashed to Earth, exploding in a huge explosion in mountainous areas near Gongyi city in the central Chinese province of Henan, less than a mile from the launch site.
“The first stage of the rocket separated from the launch pad due to a structural failure in the connection between the rocket body and the test platform,” Space Pioneer said in a statement. statement“After launch, the onboard computer automatically shut down and the rocket fell into the mountains 1.5 kilometers away. [0.9 miles] Southwest of the test platform. The rocket body fell into the mountain and broke apart.”
Space Pioneer, a private Chinese company also known as Beijing Tianbing Science and Technology founded in 2019, reported that initial investigations showed no injuries or fatalities. Reuters.
Space Pioneer said parts of the rocket were scattered in a “safe area,” but noted that a fire broke out in that area after the spacecraft exploded. The fire was later extinguished.
Space Pioneer is comparing the performance of the Tianlong 3 to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
The Tianlong-3 rocket can launch up to 17 tons of cargo into orbit at an altitude of 230 feet.
Tianlong-3’s maiden launch mission had been scheduled for July before Sunday’s accident.
Space Pioneer is known as a space company that specializes in liquid-fuel rockets.
In April 2023, Space Pioneer successfully launched the Tianlong-2 rocket, becoming China’s first commercial launch operator to send a liquid-fuel rocket into space and successfully put it into orbit.
But it is China’s second rocket failure in a week. The Tuan Long 3 explosion comes just days after a Long March 2C rocket exploded and broke into pieces shortly after liftoff, raining debris over a popular area.
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