Landspace and OneSpace launches in 20 also failed.Īlternatives are also on the way, however. However a number of solid launch vehicles have experienced failures, with private firm iSpace suffering a third consecutive loss of a mission last month, casting doubt on the prospects of the Hyperbola-1 rocket. The launch of Kuaizhou rockets from Jiuquan is part of a wider push to develop solid rocket launch capabilities, including privately-funded launch service providers. No such launch attempt has been reported. A news release from CASIC subsidiary Expace indicated that preparations for a final assembly for a launch were underway in August. The Kuaizhou-11 had been slated for a return to flight before the end of 2021 according to earlier reports. The Kuaizhou-11 failed with its first and so far only launch in 2020 and has since remained grounded. The former suffered a failure in December 2021 following a return to flight earlier in the autumn.
Chinese rocket crash 2021 series#
Construction of the test facilitIES began in September 2018.ĬASIC, a state-owned giant defense contractor separate from CASC but with its own space ambitions, is developing a series of solid rockets for orbital launches and has established infrastructure at Jiuquan for launches of Kuaizhou-1A and larger Kuaizhou-11 rockets using transport erector launchers rather than a launch pad and service structure.īoth of these have suffered launch failures.
Given the profile of launches at Jiuquan it is likely that the structures were related to testing and assembly of solid rockets operated by non-CASC entities. It is thus somewhat unclear what the facilities were used for and what caused the explosion.
There is no indication that the explosion was reported by Chinese media. Eastern), suggesting the blast had little or no impact on CASC, the country’s main space contractor, and its major activities.
October 16 Eastern).Ĭhina’s Shenzhou-13 crewed mission lifted off from Jiuquan at 16:23 UTC Oct. Qckwaqtcrjįurther satellite imagery from Planet’s Super Dove satellites seen by SpaceNews indicates that the explosion occurred between 0316 UTC on Oct. High resolution satellite imagery shows that there was an explosion at a launch pad south of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in October 2021. The apparent aftermath of an explosion is visible in an image from November 2021. The high resolution images show the facilities, which were possibly used for testing solid rocket motors, intact in October 2021. The pair of launch pads are used by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) for hypergolic Long March rocket launches for human spaceflight, civil, military and scientific missions and were unaffected by the blast. The incident occurred at facilities constructed around 16 kilometers to the southwest of Jiuquan’s two main launch complexes. Established in 1958 it is the first of China’s four national spaceports to be constructed.Įvidence of the explosion was discovered by space enthusiast Harry Stranger using imagery from Airbus and CNES and posted on Twitter June 10. Jiuquan spaceport is situated in the Gobi Desert and hosts major orbital launches including all of the country’s Shenzhou human spaceflight missions. HELSINKI - An explosion severely damaged rocket facilities at China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in October 2021, commercial satellite imagery shows.
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