Chinese rocket explodes shortly after take-off as Beijing races to compete with SpaceX

A Chinese Long March 7A rocket exploded roughly 85 seconds after lifting off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan on Monday, destroying the launcher and its satellite payload. The failure, confirmed by state news agency Xinhua as a "flight anomaly," is now under investigation and comes as China invests heavily in expanding its space programme to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX, in pursuit of President Xi Jinping's stated "space dream." Musk himself responded to footage of the blast on X, remarking that "rockets are insanely hard" and wishing China a speedy recovery.

The rocket had been carrying the Zhongxing-4B (ChinaSat-4B) communications satellite, intended for high-orbit use similar to its 2024-launched predecessor. It marks the first failure of a Long March 7A since its inaugural flight malfunctioned in March 2020, though China has since flown hundreds of successful Long March missions, including its first reusable rocket landing in July. Experts said the setback is unlikely to significantly affect China's broader ambitions, including the planned Chang'e-7 lunar mission later this year, which will use the larger Long March 5 rocket instead.