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Space Pioneer Says Part of Rocket Crashed in Central China

FILE: This artist's illustration courtesy of Blue Origin obtained October 25, 2021, shows the core module of Orbital Reef. Handout BLUE ORIGIN/AFP/File
FILE: This artist's illustration courtesy of Blue Origin obtained October 25, 2021, shows the core module of Orbital Reef. Handout BLUE ORIGIN/AFP/File
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Space Pioneer Says Part of Rocket Crashed in Central China

FILE: This artist's illustration courtesy of Blue Origin obtained October 25, 2021, shows the core module of Orbital Reef. Handout BLUE ORIGIN/AFP/File
FILE: This artist's illustration courtesy of Blue Origin obtained October 25, 2021, shows the core module of Orbital Reef. Handout BLUE ORIGIN/AFP/File

Beijing Tianbing Technology Co said on Sunday that the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket under development had detached from its launch pad during a test due to structural failure and landed in a hilly area of the city of Gongyi in central China.

There were no reports of casualties after an initial investigation, Beijing Tianbing, also known as Space Pioneer, said in a statement on its official WeChat account, Reuters reported.

Parts of the rocket stage were scattered within a "safe area" but caused a local fire, according to a separate statement by the Gongyi emergency management bureau.

The fire has since been extinguished and no one has been hurt, the bureau said.

The two-stage Tianlong-3 ("Sky Dragon 3") is a partly reusable rocket under development by Space Pioneer, one of a small group of rapidly growing private-sector rocket makers over the past five years.

Falling rocket debris in China after launches is not unheard of, but it is very rare for part of a rocket under development to make an unplanned flight out of its test site and crash.

According to Space Pioneer, the first stage of the Tianlong-3 ignited normally during a hot test but later detached from the test bench due to structural failure and landed in hilly areas 1.5 kms (0.9 miles) away.

The performance of Tianlong-3 is comparable to SpaceX's Falcon 9, according to Space Pioneer.

In April 2023, Space Pioneer launched a kerosene-oxygen rocket, the Tianlong-2, becoming the first private Chinese firm to send a liquid-propellant rocket into space.

Chinese commercial space companies have rushed into the sector since 2014 when private investment in the industry was allowed by the state.

Many started making satellites while others including Space Pioneer, focused on developing reusable rockets that can significantly cut mission costs.

The test sites of such companies can be found along China's coastal areas, located by the sea due to safety reasons.

But some are also sited deep in the country's interior such as Space Pioneer's test centre in Gongyi, a city of 800,000 people in the central province of Henan.

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Americans to Celebrate Fourth of July with Parades, Cookouts — and Lots of Fireworks

A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights
A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights
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Americans to Celebrate Fourth of July with Parades, Cookouts — and Lots of Fireworks

A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights
A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights

The hamburgers aren't the only things sizzling this Fourth of July: Millions of people are under heat warnings as large numbers of Americans traveled to toast their nation’s birth with parades, cookouts and fiery splashes of colors against the evening sky.

Travel records are projected to fall with people already jamming airports and crowding highways ahead of the Fourth of July to get to their destinations. Across the West, meanwhile, residents were dealing with stifling heat as the National Weather Service warned of a “significant and extremely dangerous” heat wave across much of the region, The AP reported.

Fireworks — a staple for the holiday — were expected to reach an all-time high with an untold number of backyard displays in addition to 16,000 professional shows lighting up the horizon from sea to shining sea.

“This is how we celebrate. It’s the bombs bursting in air. It’s the rockets’ red glare. That’s how people show their pride and patriotism,” said Julie Heckman of the American Pyrotechnics Association.

All signs pointed to big celebrations: The Transportation Security Administration reported that a record-breaking nearly 3 million people traveled through airports in a single day last week, and that figure is expected to be broken this week. And AAA projected that 60.6 million people will travel by car during the holiday period. Part of the boost was attributed to easing inflation, though many Americans remain concerned about the economy.

On the much of the West Coast, residents were advised to take precautions to avoid overheating on the holiday.

Temperatures were expected to top 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) across both coastal and inland areas of California, with heat spreading into the Pacific Northwest. Some spots in the desert Southwest were expecting temperatures topping 120 degrees ( 49 degrees Celsius). Hot, muggy conditions also permeated the Deep South and Middle Atlantic.

The Northern California city of Oroville’s annual fireworks were canceled as an estimated 26,000 residents remained displaced by the growing Thompson Fire, while hundreds of firefighters toiled under extreme heat to keep flames from reaching more homes.

Plenty of barbecue, desserts, cold drinks and the Stars and Stripes were on tap from Maine to Hawaii. But Americans were also celebrating in other ways unique to their communities.

Off the rocky coast in Down East, Maine, some planned to enjoy lobster boat races. Descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were ringing the Liberty Bell 13 times — once for each of the original colonies — in Philadelphia. The California communities of Bolinas and Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco, were engaging in their annual tug-of-war contest in which losers end up in a lagoon.

And, of course, there’s the annual hot dog eating contest on New York’s Coney Island.

The July Fourth holiday generally unites Americans in their shared love of country, but the 2024 version comes against a backdrop of deep political polarization and a divisive presidential race.

In Boston, where tens of thousands were expected to enjoy the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, maestro Keith Lockhart said it’s inspiring to see people of different political stripes gather on Charles River Esplanade. But he noted that “one would have to have one’s head pretty deeply stuck in the sand to not notice the deep divisions in our country.”

“It is, indeed, a dangerous time,” he wrote in an email before the show. “If, even for one day, we can set aside our differences and embrace our commonalities, this has to be a positive thing.”