The incident that took place in Gunyi city of Henan province in China is hotly debated. The promising Chinese two-stage Tianlong-3 (Tianlong-3) rocket with multiple first stages was tested here.

The rocket flew directly into the sky during the static firing of the nine engines of the first stage, which had to be carried out on the ground. Soon the rocket fell silent, crashing and causing a massive explosion. A residential area was also not far away, but no casualties have been reported yet.

Space Pioneer (aka Tianbing Technology, the developer of Tianlong-3) says the thrust force during the tests was too large, the rocket was not well stabilized and therefore flew away.

The first stage of the returned Tianlong-3 is equipped with nine Tianhuo-12 oxy-kerosene engines, each with a thrust of 110 tons. The original plan was to send Tianlong-3 to the Hainan Aerospace Center to prepare for its first flight in September this year after hot tests. But now, obviously, plans will be adjusted.

“Tianlong-3” was created specifically for the creation of a low-orbit satellite Internet group in China. It can place more than 30 satellites into orbit in a single launch. According to its characteristics, “Tianlong-3” can be compared with the American SpaceX Falcon 9. “Tianlong-3” has a fuselage diameter of 3.8 meters and a takeoff weight of 590 tons. The rocket allows you to carry a 14-ton payload to the NGO.