A Chinese Long March 7A rocket failed Tuesday after a malfunction during flight, shortly after liftoff from the Wenchang launch site on Hainan Island. The rocket was carrying the ChinaSat-4B communications satellite, but the mission ended in failure and Chinese authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.
China’s Long March 7A Rocket Explodes Seconds After Liftoff pic.twitter.com/KjvMrF2m8O
— Rapid Reports (@_RapidReports) August 10, 2026
According to China’s Xinhua news agency, the rocket launched at 20:02 Beijing time. Experts who reviewed launch footage estimated the rocket was completely destroyed at relatively low altitude and speed, meaning neither the satellite nor rocket debris reached orbit around Earth.
This marks the first failure of the Long March 7A since its maiden flight in March 2020, which also ended in malfunction. Since then, the rocket returned to service and completed more than 12 successful launches. SpaceX founder Elon Musk weighed in on the incident, writing on X that “rockets are insanely hard” and adding that he hopes the Chinese recover quickly from the failure.
China is meanwhile preparing for the Chang’e 7 mission to explore the Moon’s south pole, scheduled to launch in the second half of 2026. That mission will use a Long March 5 rocket, so according to initial assessments, the current failure is not expected to significantly impact its timeline.