A Kuaizhou 1A rocket stands on its launch pad ahead of a satellite launch in 2020. The rocket failed during the launch. The image is from CASIC.
The Kuaizhou-1A solid rocket was supposed to take two commercial satellites with it when it failed to make it to space.
The rocket was launched from the China National Space Administration's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. According to a SpaceNews report, the launch time was pinpointed by airspace closure notices. The two satellites on board the rocket were supposed to be used for testing.
The failure was confirmed in a news report. The launch mission failed because the rocket flew "abnormally", according to a machine-translated article.
China's space program is getting new news.
During its first and so far, only launch of the larger Kuaizhou-11) and September 2020 of its Kuaizhou-1A rocket type, Expace had launch failures. In three months in September, October and November, the Kuaizhou-1A launched three times.
SpaceNews said that Expace's struggles may present opportunities for other, emerging space companies in China to step into the gap and gain experience with launching boosters.
The launch attempt was the 51st for China in the year 2021, and the third failure. China beat its national record of 39 launches in a year, which was achieved in both of the last two years.
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