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The launch of China’s first new-generation Long March 7A, a rocket that without the addition of the new upper stage is designed to carry resupply ships to China’s planned space station, ended in failure on Monday, casting doubts over the country’s ambitious space missions planned for the rest of the year.
The 60.13 metres (197-foot) tall Long March 7A rocket, also known as the CZ-7A, encountered an “abnormality” shortly after lifting off at 13:34 GMT (9:34 a.m. EDT) from the Wenchang space center on Hainan Island, China’s southernmost launch site.
Little else has been disclosed about the incident including either the cause or nature of the failure, but footage of the launch published on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform by distant spectators, showed what appeared to be a sudden flaring within a few minutes after take-off, suggesting an explosion during, or soon after, second-stage separation.