Tianbing Technology's Rocket Test Run Incident Update and Details
TapTechNews, June 30th. Regarding the rumor that the rocket of Tianbing Technology fell and caught fire, Beijing Tianbing Technology Co., Ltd. released The Explanation on the Test Run of the First Stage Power System of the Tianlong-3 Large Liquid Launch Vehicle today.
Here is the original text attached by TapTechNews as follows:
Regarding the Tianlong-3 Liquid Launch Vehicle
The Explanation on the Test Run of the First Stage Power System
At 3:43 PM on June 30, 2024, the Tianlong-3 liquid launch vehicle independently developed by Tianbing Technology conducted a hot test run of the nine-engine parallel power system at the Comprehensive Test Center in Gongyi City, Henan Province.
During the test run, the first stage rocket ignited normally and the engine thrust reached 820 tons. Due to the structural failure at the connection between the rocket body and the test bench, the first stage rocket disengaged from the launch pad. After taking off, the on-board computer shut down automatically and the rocket fell into the deep mountains 1.5 kilometers southwest of the test bench and disassembled after falling. The test site is far from the urban area of Gongyi. Before the test, in cooperation with the local government, comprehensive safety guarantee measures were improved and the surrounding people were evacuated in advance. After investigation, there were no casualties.
The Tianlong-3 is a large liquid launch vehicle customized by Tianbing Technology for the construction of China's satellite Internet constellation. The product performance is comparable to SpaceX's Falcon 9. It has a diameter of 3.8 meters, a takeoff mass of 590 tons, a near-Earth orbit (LEO) carrying capacity of 17 tons, and a solar synchronous orbit (SSO) carrying capacity of 14 tons.
The test run of the power system of the Tianlong-3 launch vehicle is the simultaneous ignition of the nine TH-12 (Tianhuo Twelve) engines at the first stage. It is the largest power system test run with the largest thrust among the launch vehicles currently under development in China, which is twice as much as the previous largest thrust test in Chinese aerospace.
Thank the friends from all walks of life and the superior authorities for the attention to Tianbing Technology. We will complete the troubleshooting as soon as possible and organize the production and test of new products.
Related Reading:
The rocket of Tianbing Technology fell and caught fire. The Gongyi City Emergency Management Bureau: It's a test flight and there are currently no casualties.