China's Long March 7A Rocket Fails, Destroying ChinaSat-4B Satellite

China has suffered a rare failure of one of its newer-generation Long March rockets, losing a communications satellite after the launcher exploded shortly after take-off on Monday night.

Around 8pm Beijing time, the unmanned 60-metre (197-foot) Long March 7A blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the southern island of Hainan, piercing the night sky as it carried the ChinaSat-4B satellite towards high Earth orbit.

But less than 90 seconds into the flight, the rocket erupted into a fireball engulfed in thick black smoke, according to videos posted on social media by spectators near the launch site.

Space observers suggested a major anomaly may have triggered the rocket’s flight termination system, destroying the vehicle. Both the rocket and satellite were lost over the South China Sea.

State news agency Xinhua confirmed the failure about three hours after the launch, saying the rocket had experienced an “anomaly during flight” and that the mission had failed. It said the cause was under investigation.

Images circulating online, apparently taken from long-wave infrared tracking footage of the launch, appeared to show the rocket snapping near its upper section moments before it was destroyed.