China's Long March 7A rocket explodes 85 seconds after launch, losing ChinaSat-4B satellite

Launch failure over Hainan

A Long March 7A rocket exploded approximately 85 seconds after lifting off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan island at 20:02 local time on Monday evening (14:02 Central European Time). The 60-meter rocket was carrying the communications satellite Zhongxing 4B, also known internationally as ChinaSat-4B. Videos posted on social media by onlookers near the launch site showed a bright flash followed by glowing debris and dense black smoke against the night sky. The rocket and satellite fell into the South China Sea.

The state news agency Xinhua confirmed the failure, reporting that the rocket experienced an anomaly during flight and the mission failed. The exact cause is under investigation. The space agency CNSA did not respond to a Reuters inquiry, and Chinese state officials had not commented on the explosion as of Monday night in China.

What was lost

The payload had not been officially named in advance; launch listings described it as unknown. However, China National Radio reported around the time of launch that the satellite aboard was Zhongxing-4B (ChinaSat-4B), a communications satellite intended for a high Earth orbit. That report was later removed from a Baidu-hosted page. The predecessor ChinaSat-4A, launched in 2024, is described by China as a satellite for voice, data, radio and television, designed for regions that terrestrial networks can barely reach. The specialist service SpaceNews noted that low-numbered Zhongxing satellites are considered military communications satellites in the industry, though this is not confirmed.

Expert assessment

Astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard analyzed the launch videos. He determined that the rocket was completely destroyed at low altitude and velocity, and that neither the satellite nor debris reached orbit. Ars Technica reported that the explosion occurred during the first stage flight, likely around the time of maximum dynamic pressure as the rocket accelerated through the lower atmosphere. The outlet noted the possibility that the vehicle's flight was ended by an onboard flight termination system, which ignites when the vehicle veers off course.

Second failure for Long March 7A

The failure is the second for the Long March 7A type. The maiden flight in March 2020 also ended in an explosion, also launched from Wenchang. After that failure, the model completed 16 consecutive successful launches. The most recent successful launch was at the end of July with the Tianlian-3 satellite. Monday's launch was the 18th flight of the Long March 7A, according to Berliner Zeitung. Bloomberg reported that this is the second failure of the Long March rocket family in 2026.

Potential broader implications

If the cause is related to the first stage's main engine, the YF-100, there could be wider consequences for China's space program. The YF-100, fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene with a thrust of 270,000 pounds at sea level, is the most commonly used rocket engine in China's space program. It has powered the Long March 7 and 7A variants for the last decade and is used in as many as nine Chinese rockets, from the Long March 5 to the Long March 8. Even newer rockets such as the Long March 10 use modified versions of the engine. Due to the closed nature of China's state-operated space program, Ars Technica noted, it may never be clear what caused the rocket to explode.