China's Long March 7A Rocket Explodes 85 Seconds After Launch

China's newest carrier rocket, the Long March 7A, exploded about 85 seconds after its launch from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, failing to deploy the Zhongxing 4B satellite. This failure of a key rocket for high-orbit satellite deployment is drawing attention to its potential impact on China's upcoming space launch schedule.

According to China's official Xinhua News Agency, the rocket experienced an anomaly during flight after liftoff at 8:02 PM local time on July 10, resulting in mission failure. Videos shared online by residents near the launch site show the rocket engulfed in black smoke and flames shortly after liftoff. The South China Morning Post reported that the rocket and satellite were lost over the South China Sea. It remains unconfirmed whether the explosion was accidental or triggered by the flight termination system due to an anomaly. Infrared tracking footage circulating online also appeared to show the upper stage of the rocket bending before its destruction, a moment observers noted coincides with the period of maximum aerodynamic pressure during ascent.

The specific purpose and specifications of the Zhongxing 4B satellite have not been disclosed. While it was reportedly intended to provide private radio, television broadcasting, and communication services, experts have speculated that some satellites in the Zhongxing series, indicated by lower serial numbers like 1, 2, and 4, are used for military communications. The satellite is understood to be one of the most expensive of its kind made in China, with a price tag exceeding 1 billion yuan (approximately $138 million).

The Long March 7A is China's latest medium-lift rocket, primarily used for placing large satellites into high orbits. Although its inaugural flight in March 2020 ended in failure, subsequent launches in 2021 successfully placed communication, remote sensing, and data relay satellites into orbit. Its most recent successful launch was the Tianlian 1 01 satellite on June 29. The interval between that mission and the recent failure was only about 12 days, setting a record for the shortest preparation time among China's latest Long March rockets.

This failure has already caused immediate repercussions for other launch schedules. LandSpace, China's first private aerospace company, postponed the launch of its Zhuque-3 Yao 2 rocket, originally planned for July 11 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Additionally, the Chang'e 7 lunar probe, scheduled for launch on July 24 from Wenchang using a Long March 5 rocket, could be affected. The South China Morning Post suggested that if the cause of the accident is identified as an engine issue, it could impact the Chang'e 7 mission, as the booster engines for the Long March 5 are from the same series as those used in the Long March 7A.

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The Long March 7A rocket experienced an anomaly during flight after liftoff at 8:02 PM local time on July 10, resulting in mission failure.