A Chinese commercial rocket was accidentally launched during a ground test on Sunday, rose into the air, crashed into a nearby mountain and burst into flames, the private company that owns the rocket said.
Aerospace Pioneer, the rocket’s owner, said in a statement that the Tianlong 3 rocket separated from the test platform during a propulsion system test and liftoff from the launch pad due to a “structural failure.” The accident occurred at 3:43 pm local time on Sunday at a testing facility in Gongyi City, Henan Province, central China, the statement said.
The statement said that after launch, the onboard computer automatically shut down and the rocket crashed into a hilly area about a mile from the test site. No one was injured, the statement said, adding that the crash site was far from residential areas and the company had worked with local authorities to evacuate nearby areas ahead of the test.
Footage posted on Chinese news outlets and social media appeared to show the rocket climbing before losing power and crashing, exploding on a nearby mountain.
According to Aerospace Pioneer, Tianlong 3 is the most powerful launch vehicle currently under development in China. The company says it’s comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the first orbital-stage reusable rocket. Falcon 9 is designed to carry astronauts and cargo into Earth orbit, becoming the first commercial rocket to put astronauts into orbit in 2020.
