When it comes to rockets, a “static-fire engine test,” by definition, means that the rocket should remain on the ground and not move. But during such a test in China on Sunday, that clearly didn’t happen.
Chinese commercial company Space Pioneer fired up the engines of its Tianlong-3 rocket for a static-fire test only to see the vehicle lift off.
The clamps designed to hold the rocket in place during the engine test had catastrophically failed, causing the rocket’s powerful thrust to send the vehicle skyward.
And the situation only got worse.
After climbing a short distance into the sky, the rocket appeared to lose power, causing it to plummet back to the ground and explode in a massive fireball. A video shows the failed test, which lasted about 50 seconds from ignition to explosion.
The only positive outcome is that no one is believed to have been hurt in the incident.
In a statement seen by Space News, Space Pioneer confirmed that there had been a structural failure at the point where the rocket body was connected to the test bench. The rocket’s onboard computer automatically shut down the engines, but not quickly enough to stop it racing away from the launchpad.
Static-fire testing is a routine part of surfacing anomalies with a rocket engine, but this one exposed an anomaly with the static-fire system itself.
The blunder seems likely to delay the first official launch of the rocket, which is supposed to take place at China’s new commercial launch facilities near Wenchang spaceport on Hainan island about 1,500 miles southwest of Beijing.
In a more successful endeavor, Space Pioneer last year became the first Chinese commercial launch firm to succeed in reaching orbit with its Tianlong-2 rocket.
China has actually been enjoying a fair bit of success with its space-based efforts lately, so this latest incident will come as a surprise to many. In June, for example, the nation made history by becoming the first to bring to Earth rock samples from the far side of the moon.