Unexpected Accident Impacts China’s Space Exploration: Tianlong-3 Rocket Detaches from Launch Pad and Flies Accidentally, Exploding on a Mountain After Launch Failure.
Imagine the scene: a state-of-the-art Chinese rocket, ready to revolutionize space exploration in China and around the world, unexpectedly takes off, only to plummet into a mountain amid a massive fireball. That’s exactly what happened with the Tianlong-3 from Space Pioneer, and the stunning images captured by the local population turned this incident into a viral phenomenon.
Discover all the details of this fascinating story and its impacts on China’s space race.
Chinese Rocket Tianlong-3 Fails During Ignition Tests
The Chinese rocket Tianlong-3, developed by the commercial company Space Pioneer, experienced a significant failure during ignition tests, resulting in a crash last Sunday (30). The incident occurred at the testing facility located in Gongyi, Henan province, China.
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In amateur videos captured by local residents in China, it is possible to see the first stage of the rocket, equipped with nine engines, being ignited and, unexpectedly, taking off. After a few moments, the engines appeared to shut down, causing the rocket to fall horizontally into the mountains. Normally, during static ignition tests, clamps hold the rockets firmly in place.
The first stage of the Tianlong-3 hit the ground approximately 50 seconds after launch, causing an explosion of the liquid oxygen and kerosene fuel, creating a large fire and smoke cloud. Authorities from Henan province in China informed the Shanghai digital newspaper, The Paper, that there were no injuries, as the local population was evacuated before the tests.
Tianlong-3’s Onboard Computer Automatically Shut Off Engines After Accidental Launch, Resulting in Rocket Fall
Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, released a statement explaining that there was a structural failure in the connection between the rocket body and the testing base.
The onboard computer of the Tianlong-3 automatically shut off the engines after the accidental launch, resulting in the rocket falling about 1.5 km southwest of the launch site. According to the company, 850 tons of propellant were consumed in the explosion.
Due to the incident, the planned orbital launch for the Tianlong-3 is expected to be postponed. The test is expected to take place at the Wenchang spaceport, located on Hainan Island. According to Chinese state media, Space Pioneer was the first company in the country to successfully conduct a commercial orbital launch, using the Tianlong-2 in 2023.
Chinese Rocket Is Significantly Larger Than Its Predecessor, With a Diameter of 3.8 Meters and a Launch Weight of 590 Tons
The Tianlong-3 is significantly larger than its predecessor, with a diameter of 3.8 meters and a launch weight of 590 tons. It is capable of carrying up to 17 tons of payload to low Earth orbit, with performance comparable to the Falcon-9 rocket from SpaceX. This accident occurred shortly after the success of China’s Chang’e-6 mission, which retrieved samples from the far side of the Moon.


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