According to Xinhua News Agency, at 20:02 Beijing time on August 10th, the Long March 7A, also known as the Long March 7A, launched the Zhongxing 4B satellite. After more than a minute of launch, an explosion occurred, and the specific cause is being further analyzed and investigated.
From the publicly circulated video footage, it appears that everything was normal during the launch of the rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site. However, at approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds into the flight, the first stage of the rocket suddenly exploded.
From the time point of the explosion, the accident occurred during the first stage flight of the rocket, which is likely to be around the "maximum dynamic pressure" stage experienced by the rocket during its passage through the lower atmosphere and acceleration climb. There is also another possibility that the rocket is terminated by an onboard "flight termination system" that automatically triggers when the rocket deviates from its intended orbit.
The first stage and booster of the Long March 7 carrier rocket are equipped with YF-100 engines with a thrust of 120 tons, YF-100， It is currently the most widely used rocket engine in China's aerospace system, without exception. This engine uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants, with a sea level thrust of up to 270000 pounds.
According to the original plan, the Chang'e-7 lunar robot exploration mission will be launched into space by the Long March 5 rocket in about two weeks. The Chang'e-7 mission is an important component of China's lunar exploration program. This mission will integrate an orbiter, lander, lunar rover, and a miniature "jumper", with the goal of flying to the area near the Shackleton crater at the south pole of the moon. If the mission goes smoothly, this will be the first time in human history that a country has sent a lunar rover to this area for exploration.
