On Monday, August 10, 2026, the global space industry authority news and analysis website SpaceNews reported that the Chinese Long March 7A carrier rocket exploded less than 90 seconds after liftoff, resulting in the failure of the satellite to successfully enter orbit.
The Long March 7A carrier rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Island at around 8 am local time. Prior to the launch, airspace closure notices had been issued.
A video captured by an amateur near the coastal space launch site and uploaded to YouTube showed the rocket exploding approximately 85 seconds after liftoff.
As of the time of reporting, there has been no official announcement from the Chinese Communist Party regarding the incident. It is currently unclear whether the explosion was due to a malfunction or triggered by the flight termination system.
The state-owned media outlet China National Radio (CNR) issued a brief report before and after the launch, stating that the payload was the Zhongxing-4B satellite.
According to SpaceNews, the smaller-sized Chinese Zhongxing satellite is typically used for military communication purposes.
The Long March 7A is mainly used for high-orbit missions, typically delivering satellites to geostationary transfer orbit, from where the satellites adjust their trajectory to geostationary orbit.
The Long March 7A carrier rocket had its maiden flight in March 2020, which also ended in an explosion.
The impact of Monday’s launch failure on future missions remains uncertain. The rocket’s first stage and boosters use the YF-100 kerosene/liquid oxygen engine, which is also utilized in the Long March 5 carrier rocket.
The Long March 5 carrier rocket is scheduled to launch the Chang’e-7 lunar south pole landing mission on August 24.
Monday’s rocket launch marks the 56th orbit launch attempt by the Chinese Communist Party in 2026 and the fourth failure this year. Previous confirmed failed launches by the CCP include the Long March 3B and Gushen-Star 2 solid carrier rockets in January, as well as the explosion of the Tianlong 3 carrier rocket on April 3.
The CCP also plans to launch the second Zhuque-3 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Commercial Launch Center later Monday for the second stage booster recovery. However, recent updates indicate that the launch of the Zhuque-3 carrier rocket will be postponed.