China’s space program suffered a major setback Monday when a Long March 7A rocket carrying an unknown payload exploded shortly after launching from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in southern China. Video footage of the launch appeared to show that the rocket was climbing normally for 85 seconds before a dramatic breakup sent out a bright flash of light and debris spreading across the sky. (RELATED: China Picks Up Pace In Global Race To Unlock Limitless Energy)Monday’s launch marked China’s 56th orbital launch attempt of 2026 and its fourth failure of the year. It debuted in March 2020, but the inaugural mission ended in failure as well after the rocket exploded, the outlet reported. However, it is clear that China’s increasingly aggressive push into space encountered a very visible obstacle.