Beijing Tianbing Technology Co., also known as Space Pioneer, experienced a structural failure during a test of its Tianlong-3 rocket, causing the first stage to detach from the launch pad and crash in a hilly area of Gongyi, China.
Despite initial concerns, there were no casualties reported.
The incident resulted in a local fire, which was later extinguished. This incident is unusual, as it involved a rocket under development making an unplanned flight and crashing.
Space Pioneer is one of several private Chinese rocket makers that have emerged in recent years, focusing on reusable rockets to reduce mission costs.
Parts of the rocket stage were dispersed within a “safe area,” but it ignited a local fire, according to a statement by the Gongyi emergency management bureau, news agency Reuters reported.
The two-stage Tianlong-3, also known as Sky Dragon 3, is a partly reusable rocket that is being developed by Space Pioneer.
This is not the first such incident in China. However, it is very rare for a rocket under development to make an unplanned flight and crash.
Previously, in April 2023, Space Pioneer launched a kerosene-oxygen rocket, the Tianlong-2, becoming the first private Chinese firm to send a liquid-propellant rocket into space.
(Inputs from Reuters)
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