Posted: Sun, Aug 16, 2026, 10:52 AM ET (1452 GMT)
A Chinese rocket exploded shortly after liftoff on Monday. The Long March 7A lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport at about 8 am EDT (1200 GMT), but video of the launch showed the rocket exploding about 85 seconds into flight. The rocket was carrying Zhongxing-4B, thought to be a military communications satellite. Chinese officials have disclosed few details about the failure, including its potential cause. The Long March 7A uses the same engines as the larger Long March 5, which is scheduled to launch the Chang'e-7 lunar lander mission later this month.

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