WATCH: Chinese space rocket accidentally takes off prematurely while testing and crashes into a hill within a minute

Let us be very clear, we get it. We all have days where the excitement carries us a little too far a little too quickly. And it happens with space companies too!

In an unexpected turn of events, Beijing-based aerospace company Space Pioneer conducted a static fire test with the first stage of its new Tianlong-3 rocket on Sunday in Gongyi, Henan province. What was meant to be a routine test turned into a dramatic and frightening surprise mission when the rocket's anchoring mechanism failed, causing it to prematurely lift off from the launch pad.

The Tianlong-3's engines were briefly ignited, as per the plan, but the rocket wasn't supposed to leave the ground. Instead, it lifted off and embarked on an unscheduled and catastrophic flight, which ended abruptly after just 50 seconds. The rocket crashed into a hilly area near Gongyi, creating a massive fireball that some onlookers managed to capture on video.


Thankfully, the explosion did not result in any injuries, according to Henan emergency-management officials, who reported to The Paper, a Shanghai-based media outlet.

Space Pioneer has been making significant strides in the aerospace sector. The company’s Tianlong-2 rocket made headlines in April 2023 when it reached orbit, marking the first successful orbital launch by a private Chinese company. The Tianlong-3 is a significant advancement over its predecessor, modelled after SpaceX's Falcon 9 and designed to be partially reusable. This new rocket is planned to carry payloads of up to 17 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO), a considerable increase from Tianlong-2's 2-ton capacity.

Sunday's incident casts uncertainty on the future of Tianlong-3’s development and test schedule. The company had aimed for an orbital launch in the coming months, but the mishap may lead to delays as they investigate and resolve the cause of the failure. The successful future of Tianlong-3 will depend on the company’s ability to learn from this failure and implement the necessary improvements.