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A Chinese rocket being developed by a private company escaped from the launch pad during a static fire attempt and crashed some distance away from the test site. The rocket, Tianlong-3, uses nine kerosene powered engines and is designed to land vertically, similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. This latest test comes soon after footage from China showed an operational rocket crashing on Earth after successfully launching a satellite. Tianlong-3’s manufacturer, Space Pioneer, assured the press in a release that no casualties were reported from the test.
China’s Tianlong-3 Test Rocket Escapes From Test Pad & Flies Briefly Before Crashing
Mishaps on a static fire test stand aren’t uncommon. A recent one involving SpaceX saw a Raptor engine for the Starship rocket explode during such a test. While some static fires test the entire rocket, others, like the one for the Raptor engine, use an isolated engine. These engine tests depend on engineers’ objectives, as the one involving the rocket tests the vehicle’s plumbing and other systems, while those of the engines evaluate only the engine’s design.
Since the Tianlong-3 is in its late development stages and was expected to fly later this year, Space Pioneer was testing the rocket at its pad. Footage from social media platforms shows that while the test appeared to be successful, disaster struck as the rocket came loose from its test stand. Engineers tested the engines with limited fuel, and while the rocket managed to fly after it came loose, it soon crashed into Earth as its fuel appeared to run out.
The Tianlong-3 uses nine TH-12 rocket engines to generate 1.7 million pounds of thrust. Its engines use rocket grade kerosene as their fuel. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 also used nine engines. The latest Falcon 9 engines are called the Merlin 1D, and together, they enable SpaceX’s rocket to also generate 1.7 million pounds of thrust. Both rockets also have a diameter of 37 to 38 meters.
![China Tianlong-3](https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CHINA-TIANLONG-3-TEST-FAIL-887x1456.png)
Space Pioneer shared more details about the test accident in a blog post after the mishap. It outlined that the rocket reached 820 tons of thrust during the test firing, and a structural failure on the launch pad led to it flying away before landing 1.5 kilometers southwest. The firm added that Tianlong-3’s onboard computer, responsible for controlling its engines and electronics, shut off after liftoff. The test site is located away from populated areas, according to the firm, and it had evacuated all personnel from the site before lighting up Tianlong-3’s engines.
While rockets typically do not fly away from the stand during a test fire, at least one such failure has happened before. This took place when the U.S. military was testing its Viking rocket in the 1950s. The Viking was a sounding rocket that was powered by solid fuel rocket motors and generated at least 20,000 pounds of thrust. During a static fire in 1952 at the White Sands test facility, a Viking 8 booster broke free from the test stand and crashed roughly 7 kilometers southeast of the pad.