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This morning a Long March 7A rocket launching from Wengchang in China suffered a dramatic failure close to Max-Q. We don't have much in the way of details of the launch or its payload but a selection of videos posted on China's social media support the conclusion that a structural failure due to launch loads. The rocket is seen to bend at the interstage between the 2nd and 3rd stage leading to the destruction of the vehicle. China's Rocket Literally Bent Under Pressure! | 9:57 Scott Manley | 1.87M subscribers | 263,458 views | August 10, 2026

A Chinese rocket carrying a new communications satellite for Indonesia has failed to reach orbit in a launch gone awry, the second failure for China's space agency in less than a month, state media reported today (April 9). The Long March 3B rocket lifted off today at 7:46 a.m. EDT from China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, where the local time was 7:46 p.m. on Thursday night, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The rocket was carrying the Palapa-N1, also known as the Nusantara Dua, a next-generation satellite for broadband and broadcast communications built for...