BreakingChina’s Long March 7A rocket explodes after launch, satellite lost

Rare failure ends a run of successful missions for the new-generation rocket, which was carrying the ChinaSat-4B communications satellite

China has suffered a rare failure of one of its newer-generation Long March rockets, losing a communications satellite after the launcher exploded shortly after take-off on Monday night.

Around 8pm Beijing time, the 60-metre (197-foot) Long March 7A blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the southern island of Hainan, piercing the night sky as it carried the ChinaSat-4B satellite towards high Earth orbit.

But less than 90 seconds into the flight, the rocket erupted into a fireball engulfed in thick black smoke, according to videos posted on social media by spectators near the launch site.

Space observers suggested a major anomaly may have triggered the rocket’s flight termination system, destroying the vehicle. Both the rocket and satellite were lost over the South China Sea.

State news agency Xinhua confirmed the failure about three hours after the launch, saying the rocket had experienced an “anomaly during flight” and that the mission had failed. It said the cause was under investigation.

The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and its parent company, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, reposted the statement on their social media accounts.