A Chinese space rocket launched without warning during an engine test and crashed into a mountain on Sunday, dramatic footage captured by a bystander showed.
The Cheonlong-3 rocket, developed by a rival of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, was meant to be a ground test of a booster but launched unexpectedly.
Spectacular footage posted on Chinese social media showed the rocket booster rocketing into the air before its engines shut down and flames erupting from the launcher.
The rocket, owned by private Chinese company Space Pioneer, then fell to Earth, crashing into hills near the city of Gongyi in Henan province.
State media said there were no reports of casualties.
The failed launch was supposed to involve a routine “static ignition” of the rocket engines while the rocket remained on the pad.
But Space Pioneer said the launch was abruptly averted due to a “structural failure” of the launch tether designed to hold the rocket in place.
The company said that after the misfire, the onboard computer shut down the rocket, causing it to crash into a hilly area 1.5 kilometers (1.5 kilometers) from the test site.
It added that the crash site was “far away from the town of Gongyi”.
But video posted to the city’s social media showed stunned residents filming the rocket’s dramatic crash to Earth.
Space Pioneer, founded in 2019, is developing a reusable rocket booster that can return to Earth in an attempt to rival China’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Earlier this month the company raised more than $200 million (£158.07 million) from investors to fund its operations.
The company’s Tianlong 2 rocket (named after the “heavenly dragon” in Chinese mythology) has already completed one successful mission.
The company’s Tianlong-3 rocket is much larger, standing 230 feet tall and capable of putting up to 17 tons of payload into orbit.
Before Sunday’s accident, the satellite’s maiden launch mission had been scheduled for July.
The accident came just days after the failure of another Chinese space mission, when a part of the Long March 2C rocket broke off, raining toxic debris into populated areas.
Expand your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months and enjoy unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive apps, great offers and more.
