Space Pioneer issues apology after engine test explosion

Chinese commercial company Space Pioneer issued an apology to the public on Tuesday after a test of the first stage engines of the Tianlong-3 rocket failed in Henan Province causing explosions in the mountainous area and disturbances to people's lives.

Tianlong-3, a two-stage kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket comparable to SpaceX's Falcon 9, experienced the failure during a test of its nine engines intended to power the first stage in Gongyi city on Sunday.

At 3:43 pm, the engines were fired according to plan, and the engine thrust reached 820 tons. However, a structural failure caused the rocket to detach from its launch pad unexpectedly and blast off. The engines were then switched off by the computer onboard and subsequently landed in a mountainous area about 1.5 kilometers away and broke apart, according to Beijing Tianbing Technology Co, also known as Space Pioneer.

Many people in Gongyi have witnessed the rocket falling into a mountainous area and posted footage of it exploding into flames on social media. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported, the company said on Sunday.

In a statement published on Tuesday, Space Pioneer sincerely apologized to the public about the incident, which has caused unnecessary disturbances to people's lives.

The testing facility is far away from the city center. And all people in the surrounding area have been evacuated prior to the test. All damages to people's houses are currently being assessed. And the company will compensate for people's losses, according to the statement.

Space Pioneer described the test as the most challenging on the propulsion system during the development of China's current carrier rockets, with the engine thrust. And the company understands that there will be high risks and uncertainties behind every breakthrough, it said in the statement.

It vows to put the safety of people's lives and property first in the future and ensure all tests in the future can be carried out safely and rigorously. It hopes the public can continue to support the development of China's commercial space industry.