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China launched an upgraded version of its Long March 7 carrier rocket carrying a communications satellite on the 10th, local time, but it exploded shortly after liftoff.
State-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the modified Long March 7 carrier rocket carrying the Zhongxing 4B satellite was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province at around 8:02 PM that evening, but the mission failed due to an anomaly during flight.
It added that analysis and investigation are currently underway regarding the specific cause.
Hong Kong media outlets, including the South China Morning Post (SCMP), cited on-site videos uploaded to social media and reported that the rocket exploded about 85 seconds into the flight, in less than 90 seconds.
Some experts estimated that the upper section of the rocket appeared to break off around the point where aerodynamic pressure reaches its maximum, and that the rocket's flight termination system may have been triggered after the anomaly occurred, causing the rocket to explode.
Foreign media explained that the rocket in question is the Long March 7A, which is used to place large satellites into high orbits, marking the second time this model has failed a launch following its maiden flight in March 2020.
This model had achieved a streak of over 10 successful launches since 2021 and was also used for a satellite launch on June 29 [Note: translated from the original text's reference to the previous month, June 29, 2026].
Sing Tao Daily reported that this is China's fourth aerospace rocket launch failure this year.
On January 17, Chinese aerospace companies experienced two rocket launch failures in a single day.
The SCMP reported that Zhongxing 4B, the satellite carried on the rocket, provides radio, television, and other communication services to users worldwide, adding that lower-numbered Zhongxing satellites like the 4B are known to be used for military communications.
It further explained that while no specific details regarding Zhongxing 4B have been officially disclosed, its price is reported to be over 1 billion yuan, equivalent to approximately 200 billion won.
Possibilities are also being raised that this failure could impact future launch schedules.
China's private aerospace firm LandSpace reportedly postponed the launch of its Zhuque-3 Yao-2 rocket, which was originally scheduled for 7:45 AM that day from Jiuquan in Gansu Province.
The company had planned to conduct a first-stage booster recovery test through this launch.
The SCMP forecasted that the Long March 5, which uses the same series of engines as the Long March 7A, is scheduled to launch on August 24 carrying the Chang'e 7 lunar probe, and if this failure is found to be due to engine defects, it could disrupt the launch schedule.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, CEO of the U.S. aerospace company SpaceX, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that "rockets are insanely hard" and that he "wishes them a speedy recovery."
(Photo: Getty Images)
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