Engineers with Chinese commercial concern Space Pioneer on Sunday couldn’t contain their rocket’s fuel load during a pre-launch test, with the vessel’s boosters firing prematurely and sending it crashing nearby and prompting shameful, red-faced apologies to partners, the Independent reports
“After liftoff, the onboard computer automatically shut down and the rocket fell 1.5 kilometres southwest of the launchpad. The rocket body disintegrated after falling into the mountain. The test site is far away from the urban area of Gongyi. Before the test, we worked with the local government to improve safety measures and organise the evacuation of surrounding personnel in advance. After investigation, no casualties were found,” Space Pioneer said in a statement.