Chinese rocket carrying satellite explodes seconds after launch
A Chinese rocket set to launch a satellite into orbit blew-up seconds after liftoff Monday, marking the relatively rare failure for a rocket considered a workhorse of Beijing’s space program. The Long March 7A rocket erupted into a massive fireball just 85 seconds after blasting off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the island [...] The post Chinese rocket carrying satellite explodes seconds…
On Monday night, a Chinese Long March 7A rocket carrying a satellite failed to reach orbit shortly after liftoff from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island. Unlike previous successful launches, the explosion was downplayed in state media, with Xinhua confirming the anomaly three hours later and revealing no further information.
The cause of the failure remains under investigation. The Long March 7A rocket, designed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, was the rocket's 18th mission, with only one prior failure during its maiden flight in 2020. The rocket was to deliver the Zhongxing-4B satellite for global communications services. The launch of China's first reusable rocket, the Zhuque-3, scheduled for Tuesday morning at Jiuquan, was delayed following the explosion.
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