108
Chinese rocket static-fire test results in unintended launch and huge explosion (spacenews.com)
submitted 2 months ago by llamacoffee@lemmy.world to c/spaceflight@sh.itjust.works
49 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 months ago

Even if the rocket had hit the ground as soon as it disappeared from sight we’re talking 2-3 kilometers away.

That seems uncomfortably close, especially given this statement:

The rocket’s onboard computer automatically shut down the engines and the rocket fell 1.5 kilometers southwest.

I assume they mean 1.5 km from the test stand? If the rocket had flown a bit further, or in a different direction, it could have fallen in what looks to be a rather densely populated area.

[-] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago

Wouldn't be the first time. China drops debris and rocket stages on populated areas all the time

[-] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago

And rocket fuel, which isn't great for pretty much anything alive.

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago

rocket fuel, which isn't great for pretty much anything alive

Depends on the rocket fuel.

  • Methalox: Harmless gases. Methane is a greenhouse gas, but it's not toxic. Basically like a bunch of cows burping.
  • Kerolox: Kerosene is an oily liquid, so not great for the environment, but not highly toxic.
  • Hypergolics: Hydrazine derivatives and nitrogen tetroxide are both highly toxic.

The Tianlong-3 in this article uses kerolox. The Long March 2C booster which fell near a village last week uses hypergols.

[-] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 months ago

Yeah, primarily hypergolics are the fun ones. I didn't hear about the booster that fell near a village recently, but there was one that I think had an emergency dump over some village or town a few years ago.

this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2024
108 points (96.6% liked)

Spaceflight

568 readers
68 users here now

Your one-stop shop for spaceflight news and discussion.

All serious posts related to spaceflight are welcome! JAXA, ISRO, CNSA, Roscosmos, ULA, RocketLab, Firefly, Relativity, Blue Origin, etc. (Arca and Pythom, if you must).

Other related space communities:

Related meme community:

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works
llamacoffee@lemmy.world