China launched a Long March 7A rocket carrying a communications satellite, but the mission failed after an anomaly occurred during flight.
According to state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Long March 7A rocket lifted off at about 8:02 p.m. on the 10th (local time) from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan province, carrying the Zhongxing 4B satellite. However, an anomaly occurred during flight, causing the mission to fail, and Chinese authorities are investigating the exact cause.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong reported, citing video filmed near the launch site, that the rocket was engulfed in flames less than 90 seconds after liftoff. The footage also captured what appeared to be an issue with the rocket's upper section just before the explosion, but the specific cause of the accident has not yet been confirmed.
The Long March 7A is a medium-lift rocket that carries satellites to high orbits. This model's launch failure is the second since its maiden flight in March 2020. Since flights resumed in 2021, it has succeeded in more than a dozen consecutive launches.
The specific mission of the Zhongxing 4B carried this time was not disclosed. In the same series, the Zhongxing 4A is known as a communications satellite used for voice and data, and radio and TV transmission.