A commercial Chinese rocket accidentally launched during a ground test on Sunday, climbing into the air before crashing into a nearby mountain and exploding in flames, the private company that owns the rocket said.
Because of a “structural failure,” the Tianlong-3 rocket separated from its testing platform while its propulsion system was being tested and lifted off from its launchpad, the rocket’s owner Space Pioneer said.The accident occurred at 3.43pm (local time) Sunday at a test facility in Gongyi city in Henan Province. After launching, the onboard computer automatically shut down, and the rocket fell into a hilly area about a mile from the test site, the statement said. No one was injured, the statement said, adding that the crash site was far from residential areas.
Because of a “structural failure,” the Tianlong-3 rocket separated from its testing platform while its propulsion system was being tested and lifted off from its launchpad, the rocket’s owner Space Pioneer said.The accident occurred at 3.43pm (local time) Sunday at a test facility in Gongyi city in Henan Province. After launching, the onboard computer automatically shut down, and the rocket fell into a hilly area about a mile from the test site, the statement said. No one was injured, the statement said, adding that the crash site was far from residential areas.
