Posted: Sat, Apr 4, 2026, 10:55 AM ET (1455 GMT)
The first launch of the Tianlong-3 rocket by Chinese company Space Pioneer failed on Friday. The rocket lifted off at 12:17 am EDT (0417 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Eyewitness videos showed apparent problems with the rocket during its ascent, amd both the company and Chinese state media later reported the launch had failed, without providing details about the failure. Tianlong-3 is a partially reusable medium-class rocket designed to place up to 22,000 kilograms into low Earth orbit. Tianlong-3 suffered an infamous static-test failure in mid-2024 when the rocket's first stage broke free and ascended several kilometers before crashing and exploding.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Xinhua article