During the static ignition of 9 engines of the first stage, which was to be carried out on the ground, the rocket just flew up into the sky. After that, it fell to the ground and there was an explosion.
In China, during static tests, the Tianlong-3 rocket, the Chinese analogue of the American Falcon 9 rocket, exploded. The thrust of nine oxygen-kerosene engines turned out to be too great. Space News writes about it.
The incident occurred in the city of Gunyi, Henan Province, where tests of the Chinese two-stage Tianlong-3 (Tianlong-3) rocket with a multiple first stage were conducted. During the static ignition of 9 engines of the first stage, which was supposed to be carried out on the ground, the rocket flew straight into the sky. After that, she fell to the ground and an explosion rang out. It happened near a residential area. No casualties have yet been reported.
The developer of the Space Pioneer rocket, Tianbing Technology, issued its own statement saying that a structural failure had occurred in the connection between the rocket body and the test stand. The rocket's on-board computer automatically shut down the engines and the rocket fell 1.5 kilometers to the southwest.
Tianlong-3 rocket: what is known< /h2>
The Tianlong-3 rocket is called the Chinese analogue of the American Falcon 9 rocket. The first stage of the rocket, which returns, is equipped with nine Tianhuo-12 oxygen-kerosene engines with a thrust of 110 tons each.
Tianlong -3 was created specifically for China's low-orbit satellite Internet group. In one launch, it can deliver more than 30 satellites into orbit. The diameter of the rocket body is 3.8 meters, the take-off weight is 590 tons. It is capable of lifting 17 tons of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO) or 14 tons into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
The original plan was to send the Tianlong-3 to the Hainan Spaceport to prepare for its first flight in September this year, but now the plans will apparently be adjusted.