It appears that China’s launch vehicle manufacturer suffered an explosion at its testing site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Satellite images show possible test stands and the visible effects of exhaust fumes on the desert surface after hot fire testing. Charred debris can be seen throughout the region.

The image was published on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, by Harry Stranger, who uses satellite images to track the development of the space industry. Stranger highlights some before and after images using images from Planet optics, ESA Sentinel and Umbra. The images help determine the date of the explosion between 04:16 UTC on November 21 and 03:21 on November 22. In October 2021, an explosion occurred at the same facilities.

The facilities are believed to be under the control of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), a giant state-owned defense and space enterprise and developer of the Kuaizhou solid-state rocket. The infrastructure is similar to CASIC’s Jiuquan facility.

The explosion occurred far from the Jiuquan launch infrastructure and is unlikely to affect other launch-related activities in the area. Meanwhile, CASIC uses portable launchers for its missiles.

CASIC, through its subsidiary Expace, operates a pair of solid-state rockets known as Kuaizhou-1A and the larger one, Kuaizhou-11. Neither organization publicized the explosion, and it is unclear how the incident would affect one or both launchers. Expace said that it has carried out product quality checks and relevant visits in recent days.

Kuaizhou-1A is capable of launching a 200-kilogram payload into a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The larger Kuaizhou-11 can carry 1,000 kilograms for a 700-kilometer SSO. The latter flew only twice. The first one in July 2020 failed. The second was successful in December 2022.

Since 2017, 24 Kuaizhou-1A missiles and 11 missiles have been launched, with three ending in failure. Flights of both Kuaizhou-1A and Kuaizhou-11 were expected to take place in the fourth quarter of the year. It’s unclear whether these launches will happen before the end of the year.

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is a sprawling area in the Gobi Desert. It was established in 1958 as the first of China’s four national spaceports to be built. In addition to the regular launches of orbital satellites, the Chinese people’s mission into space is also carried out here. They are carried out using old Long March hyperbolic missiles.

However, Jiuquan has undergone expansion in recent years. This is in response to an increase in the number of space launch participants seeking access to facilities and meeting the growing demand for launches. This includes solid rockets for commercial launchers using portable launchers such as Kuaizhou rockets. Landspace built new facilities to support the launch of Zhuque-2, a rocket powered by methane and liquid oxygen. Tianlong-2, a kerosene-oxygen launch vehicle, made its first launch in Jiuquan earlier this year.

CASIC and its subsidiary Expace appear to be facing numerous challenges. It is one of China’s best-financed business companies, with revenue of $180 million in 2017 and $237 million last year. Their efforts fit into a broader strategic effort to develop solid-state launchers to boost China’s overall space capabilities.

But Chinese startups are undermining the company’s progress. Founded in 2018, Galactic Energy has completed 10 orbital launches of its Ceres-1 rocket, with the last one ending in a single failure. Ceres-1 can lift a 300 kg payload to SSO at an altitude of 500 km and has shown a significant increase in launch frequency in 2023. The company is about to try to return to flight and is working on the Kerolox Pallas-1 rocket.

Meanwhile, Orienspace, a newly formed Chinese startup, is preparing to launch a solid-state rocket much larger than any Kuaizhou rocket in use. Gravity-1 is expected to be launched from an offshore platform in December. The rocket has three solid-state stages and four side boosters. The rocket will be able to lift approximately 6,500 kilograms to LEO or 3,700 kilograms to 700 kilometers SSO.

CASIC also faces more traditional competitors. CAS Space, also known as Zhongke Aerospace, is a commercial spin-off of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and is similar to Expace and its relationship with CASIC. The company started launching the Lijian-1/Kinetica-1 solid-state rocket, whose power is similar to Kuaizhou-11. In June this year, the launcher temporarily broke a Chinese record for the number of satellites launched in a single launch. China’s main space contractor CASC operates a new Jielong-3 solid-fuel rocket that can be launched from a offshore platform.

A successful launch would put additional pressure on Expace. However, Kuaizhou rockets are expected to launch a narrowband cluster of 80 satellites called Xingyun. In recent years, CASIC and Expace have announced plans for larger Kuaizhou-21 and -31 solid-state rockets that could carry 20 and 70 tons to LEO, respectively. However, the company recently announced that it is working on metalox engines, suggesting a switch to liquid launchers and reusability.