Beijing: Chinese company Space Pioneer has accidentally launched one of its rockets that was still under development, the landing in a hilly area of the city of Gongyi in the centre of the country.
Beijing Tianbing Technology Co said that the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket under development had detached from its launch pad during a test due to structural failure. There were no reports of casualties after an initial investigation, Beijing Tianbing, also known as Space Pioneer, said in a statement on its official WeChat account.
A picture of the rocket crashing just outside the city of Gongyi was posted to social media.
Parts of the rocket stage were scattered within a “safe area” but caused a local fire, according to a separate statement by the Gongyi Emergency Management Bureau.
The fire has since been extinguished and no one has been hurt, the bureau said.
The two-stage Tianlong-3 (Sky Dragon 3) is a partly reusable rocket under development by Space Pioneer, one of a small group of private-sector rocket makers that have grown rapidly over the past five years.
Falling rocket debris in China after launches is not unheard of, but it is very rare for part of a rocket under development to make an unplanned flight out of its test site and crash.
According to Space Pioneer, the first stage of the Tianlong-3 ignited normally during a hot test, but later detached from the test bench due to structural failure and landed in hilly areas 1.5 kilometres away.
A rocket can consist of several stages, with the first, or lowest, stage igniting and propelling the rocket upwards upon its launch.