Large Reusable Rocket Tianlong-3, developed by a private rocket company in China, failed its first test flight on June 30 and crashed in a mountainous area in Henan Province, Central China.
Space Pioneer (Beijing Tianbing Technology), the rocket testing unit, stated that the Tianlong-3 rocket was launched from a testing center in Gongyi City, Henan Province, on June 30.
Chinese Tianlong-3 rocket crashes after launch.
At approximately 15:43 on the same day, the rocket’s engine ignited as planned; however, a structural error caused the rocket to detach from the launch pad and ascend before crashing about 1.5 kilometers from the testing site, igniting some surrounding areas. Nonetheless, this location was deemed to be within the “safe zone.”
The Gongyi City Emergency Management Bureau reported that the safe area is located deep in the mountains and far from residential areas. The fire has been completely extinguished, and there were no casualties.
According to Space Pioneer, Tianlong-3 is a large liquid-fueled launch vehicle designed to build China’s satellite internet constellation, with product features comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. This reusable rocket could significantly reduce the costs of launching missions.
Initially, after a successful first flight, Tianlong-3 was planned to officially enter the mass commercial launch phase in the latter half of 2024, with the potential to provide commercial launch services for more than 30 launches per year.
In April 2023, Space Pioneer successfully launched the liquid-fueled Tianlong-2 rocket, becoming the first private company in China to send a liquid-fueled rocket into space.
