Engine test: Chinese Tianlong-3 rocket launches unintentionally and explodes
An engine test of the Chinese Tianlong-3 rocket went badly wrong. The rocket managed to break free and crashed into a wood after a short flight.
The explosion of the Tialong 3 when it crashed.
(Image: CNSA Watcher – Archives (Screenshot))
A Chinese Tianlong-3 rocket from the space company Space Pioneer has become independent during an engine test and accidentally taken off. The rocket, which is said to be similar in type and size to the Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX, took off and crashed into a forest on a mountainside after a short flight. A nearby town was unharmed. According to Space Pioneer, no one was injured.
The accident occurred at Space Pioneer's test site in the Chinese province of Henan, near the city of Gongyi. The company operates a test center there in a former quarry, where the Tianlong-3 rocket was to undergo an engine test. According to the company, there were around 200 tons of fuel left in the tested first stage, and around 400 tons when fully fueled.
During the engine test, the Tianlong 3 developed too much thrust, which the test stand could not withstand. According to Space Engineer on X (formerly Twitter), it was actually developed for the smaller Tianlong 2, which can develop a thrust of up to 600 tons. However, the Tianlong 3 develops a thrust of up to 820 tons, meaning that the rocket was able to break free during the test and lift off. It drifted off and crashed into a forest on a mountainside at a distance of 1460 meters. There is no inhabited area in this direction. If the missile had taken a different direction, the city of Gongyi with its approximately 840,000 inhabitants would have been at risk.
No personal injuries
Space Pioneer has announced that no persons were injured, but intends to refrain from testing larger rocket stages at the test stand near Gongyi in the future.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
The exact cause of the accident has not yet been clarified. The black box is currently being searched for. In addition, the debris must be examined to conclusively clarify the cause of the accident.
(olb)