A Chinese company is developing a reusable missile, but its testing went very badly

Last year’s test of Space Pioneers’ Tienlung-2 rocket went smoothly, but yesterday, the successor, the Tienlung-3, accidentally launched during its static test and crashed into the surrounding mountains.

Space Pioneers (officially known as Beijing Tianbing Technology Co.) scored a major success last year, becoming the first private Chinese company to reach orbit with a liquid-propellant rocket when it tested its Tienlung-2 spacecraft in April.

The Tienlung (Heavenly Dragon) also launched a small satellite during the mission. It is designed to carry slightly larger payloads and can deliver around 2,000 kilograms of cargo into low-Earth orbit.

Tienlung-2’s successor, Tienlung-3, is described by the company as having a capacity of 17 tonnes (in low Earth orbit) and is intended specifically for use in the deployment of satellite constellations. Space Pioneers compares the rocket to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in terms of performance and similarities in design: the Tienlung-3 has a diameter of 3.8 meters, a lift-off mass of 590 tonnes, and nine liquid oxygen/kerosene-fuelled TH-12 (Tienhuo-12) engines in its first stage.

The rocket is partially reusable. The first stage can return on its own after the mission and can be re-launched into space about ten times.

Testing of the TH-12 engines went well last year and in early 2024, but the static test of Tienlung-3 on 30 June did not quite end as planned after a failure caused the rocket to leave the launch pad unexpectedly.

According to a statement from Space Pioneers, the source of the problem was a communication failure between the spacecraft and the launch pad. Then, the onboard computer of the rocket’s ascent failed to function properly, and the out-of-control Tienlung-3 slammed into the nearby mountains with a spectacular explosion.

According to the company, people in the area were evacuated before the test, and the neighboring town of Kungji was far enough away that no one was hurt in the accident, so there was no risk of injury.

The company will investigate the incident and correct the defects in the coming days, but it remains to be seen what the future holds for Tienlung-3 and whether the schedule will proceed at the same pace as planned before the accident. The rocket’s first real mission was previously scheduled for September 2024.