Beijing: Chinese company Space Pioneer accidentally launched one of its rockets still under development, resulting in a fiery crash in a hilly area outside the city of Gongyi, in the centre of the country.
Beijing Tianbing Technology Co said 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 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 fire, according to a separate statement by the Gongyi Emergency Management Bureau.
The fire had been extinguished and no one had 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.