BEIJING: A fiery explosion ended the Long March 7A rocket’s run of successful missions stretching over five years, but the real measure of the setback for China’s space programme will depend on what exactly went wrong, say analysts. While failure is part and parcel of spaceflight, the latest mishap raises fresh questions over the reliability of the Long March 7A, considering its established track record, experts said. A STUMBLE IN THE LONG MARCHThe Long March 7A - a medium-lift rocket primarily used to send satellites into high orbit - is a new-generation member of the Long March family of rockets that has long propelled China’s national space programme. Monday evening marked the Long March 7A’s 18th mission - and its second failure since an unsuccessful maiden flight more than six years ago. The rocket erupted into a huge fireball on Monday less than 90 seconds after blasting off from the Wenchang space launch site in Hainan province.