Overview
- The Tianlong-3, which lifted off from Jiuquan at 12:17 p.m. local time on Friday, suffered an in-flight anomaly and the mission failed.
- Space Pioneer apologized and opened an investigation, and the company did not say whether any payloads were aboard or lost.
- Videos shared by residents showed the rocket struggling during ascent and ending in a large explosion and fireball, and state media later confirmed the failure.
- The 72-meter, nine-engine kerosene–liquid oxygen booster is designed for partial reuse and targets Falcon 9–like lift to low Earth orbit.
- The program previously had a 2024 ground test accident that forced a first-stage redesign and tighter oversight of China’s private launch sector.