Space Pioneer A Chinese rocket test went spectacularly awry on Sunday, after the vehicle launched off its pad by accident, flew for about 50 seconds, and then exploded on impact just outside the city of Gongyi. The rocket was undergoing a static-fire test, which is when its engines get switched on but, because of clamps and other structures to keep it on the pad, it doesn’t fly. But the company, Space Pioneer, said there was a structural failure that allowed the rocket to take off, and that there were no casualties. The rocket, Tianlong-3, is geared to be a Chinese rival to SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, as China looks to push its recent successes in space exploration, particularly on the moon, beyond the US’ capabilities.
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