WATCH: Chinese Rocket Crashes Into Mountain After Accidental Launch
A rocket belonging to a Chinese civilian aerospace manufacturer crashed into a mountain after accidentally launching Sunday, the company announced.
Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, was attempting a ground test with their Tianlong-3 rocket when a “structural failure” caused it to separate from the launch pad, a statement obtained by CNN said.
“Due to the structural failure of the connection between the rocket body and the test platform, the first-stage rocket was separated from the launch pad,” the company stated.
“After liftoff, the onboard computer was automatically shut down, and the rocket fell into the deep mountains 1.5 kilometers [0.9 miles] southwest of the test platform. The rocket body fell into the mountain and disintegrated.”
Videos shared on social media by onlookers shows the moment the rocket was launched before falling and causing a fiery explosion:
Wow. This is apparently what was supposed to be a STATIC FIRE TEST today of a Tianlong-3 first stage by China's Space Pioneer. That's catastrophic, not static. Firm was targeting an orbital launch in the coming months. https://t.co/BY9MgJeE7A pic.twitter.com/L6ronwLW1N
— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) June 30, 2024
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