An orbital launch vehicle crashed during testing in China

It became known about the fall of a rocket in China; it happened during the testing of an orbital launch vehicle weighing almost 600 tons.

The Tianlong-3 rocket was developed by Space Pioneer, a private aerospace manufacturer.

Chinese media say that during the test, there was a “structural failure” in the connection between the rocket body and the test stand.

The rocket took off, but then the computer equipment on it shut down.

It fell in a mountainous area about 1.5 kilometers from the test site. The impact with the ground caused its body to break apart. No one was injured.

The liquid-fuel rocket is said to be comparable in performance to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

Its diameter is 3.8 m, and its takeoff weight is 590 tons.

Earlier, it was reported that China launched a Chinese-French astrophysical satellite, but unsuccessfully. Its debris fell over populated areas.