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Chinese LM-7A Rocket Fails
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SpacePolicyOnline.com
China experienced a launch failure today of their relatively new Long March 7A rocket.
Videos of the launch posted on X show the vehicle exploding soon after launch from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island.
Jonathan McDowell of Jonathan’s Space Report told SpacePolicyOnline.com there appeared to be a structural failure when the rocket reached maximum dynamic pressure or MaxQ.
The LM-7 is used primarily to send Tianzhou cargo missions to China’s Tiangong space station and the 7A version launches satellites, including military satellites, to geostationary transfer orbit.
Chang’e-7 will launch on a different rocket, Long March 5, but the LM-5 Solid Rocket Boosters use the same engines as LM-7A.