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Chinese space firm unintentionally launches its new rocket (arstechnica.com)

submitted 2 months ago by gedaliyah@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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The rocket was undergoing a static fire test of the stage, in which a vehicle is clamped to a test stand while its engines are ignited, when the booster broke free. According to a statement from the company, the rocket was not sufficiently clamped down and blasted off from the test stand "due to a structural failure."

Video of the accidental ascent showed the rocket rising several hundred meters into the sky before it crashed explosively into a mountain 1.5 km away from the test site.

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[–] ours@lemmy.world 24 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Uh, I guess that's why many of the more reasonable static test rigs have the rocket flat on the ground with a hill on the pointy side just in case.

[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 months ago

That's for testing engines alone. Static fire is separate yes way further down the line when you have the rocket built and ready to fly

[–] verity_kindle@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Plus some bay or gulf, relatively quiet, very close by the site helps. It's too bad the Chinese don't have any of those.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Yeah, it was crazy how close a city was - one of the things Scot Manley went over

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

That's a different type of test for a different type of rocket.