Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Science and Technology, said its Tianlong-3 rocket launched unexpectedly during a static ignition test at its facility in Gongyi county, Henan province.
The country’s most powerful rocket was prevented from lifting off due to “structural damage at the connection between the rocket body and the test platform,” and its nine engines were ignited at 3:34 p.m., the company said.
Residents of an apartment building in the county-level city of Gongyi posted footage online showing the rocket rising into the sky, leaving a trail of thick smoke before plummeting sideways to the ground.
“After launch, the rocket’s onboard computer automatically shut down and the rocket fell into a hill 1.5 kilometers southwest of the test platform and disintegrated,” Space Pioneer said on WeChat.
Space Pioneer said the test site is far from urban areas.
“We worked with local governments to strengthen safety measures prior to the test and pre-planned the evacuation of people in the surrounding area. Investigations revealed no casualties,” the company said.
Space Pioneer is one of several private aerospace companies developing medium-sized, reusable rockets to help China build its own constellation of satellites to rival SpaceX’s Starlink.
The company said the rocket produced a total of 820 tons of thrust during the tests, surpassing the roughly 400 tons of thrust produced by China’s other reusable rockets.
The company had previously planned to launch Tianlong-3 into orbit from Hainan Island in southern China within the next few months.
Some space observers criticized Space Pioneer for “making minor errors” that posed an immediate danger to residents.
“Apparently the rocket got out of control not far from the population center of Gongyi,” one Weibo user wrote. “But the company didn’t even call it an accident in their statement. Instead, they were busy talking about the rocket’s parameters.”
But Cao Meng, vice president of satellite start-up Emposat, called for support for the private space industry.
Cao said on Weibo that he and his colleagues heard the news at around 4pm and were “extremely anxious” until emergency authorities announced there were no casualties.
“It has been truly difficult for China’s commercial space sector to get to where it is today,” he wrote.
“Such an accident could threaten the survival of the entire industry. No one can remain calm.”
“I would ask people to be more tolerant and allow more time for change to occur. We’ve been through a lot. There is no obstacle we can’t overcome.”
