TECHNOLOGY · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
China's Long March Rocket Family Rebounds After Rare Failure
WHY IT MATTERS
The recovery of China's Long March rocket family is significant for the country's space program, while the Taiwan rocket failure highlights the challenges of developing new launch vehicles.
What happened
China's Long March rocket family appears to be rebounding quickly from a rare launch failure. The Long March 7A rocket broke apart less than 90 seconds after liftoff, but officials have not released information on the cause.
The YF-100 engines used in the rocket returned to flight six days later with a successful Long March 12 rocket launch. A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket, also with YF-100 engines, is set to launch with the Chang'e 7 lunar lander en route to the Moon's south pole.
In other news, a Taiwan satellite launch vehicle prototype veered off course and was destroyed shortly after liftoff, with debris falling into a planned safety control zone.
PRIMARY SOURCES
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Ars Technica · Stephen Clark · Discovery only; Condé Nast copyright terms apply