China's Tianlong-3 rocket fails on maiden flight
China's most powerful privately developed rocket, the Tianlong-3, failed on its maiden flight Friday after suffering an in-flight anomaly, dealing a setback to the country's ambitions to rapidly deploy satellite megaconstellations capable of rivaling SpaceX's Starlink network.
The Tianlong-3, built by Beijing-based startup Space Pioneer, lifted off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 12:17 p.m. Beijing time. The rocket experienced an in-flight anomaly that led to mission failure, state news agency Xinhua reported. Space Pioneer apologized to its partners in a social media post and said the exact cause of the incident was under investigation. According to the South China Morning Post, the company said it was conducting "rectification work" with relevant experts and its technical team to "ensure the complete success of subsequent launch missions."
The maiden flight had been long awaited and repeatedly postponed. Tianlong-3 was originally scheduled to fly as early as mid-2024, but a dramatic accident during a static fire test on June 30, 2024 significantly delayed the program. During that test in Gongyi, Henan province, the rocket's first stage detached from its test stand due to a structural failure, briefly became airborne, and crashed into a hillside approximately 1.5 kilometers away, creating a massive fireball. No injuries were reported. Space Pioneer subsequently implemented more than 100 design improvements and conducted over a dozen additional ground tests before clearing the vehicle to fly.
The 72-meter-tall rocket, powered by nine kerosene and liquid oxygen engines, is designed to carry up to 22 tonnes to low Earth orbit and is widely regarded as China's answer to SpaceX's Falcon 9. It was intended to launch 36 satellites at a time for the Qianfan broadband megaconstellation, a state-backed project aimed at creating a Chinese rival to Starlink. The failure delays those plans at a moment when China is working to close the gap with SpaceX in both reusable rocket technology and satellite internet coverage.
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