China’s Long March-7A Fails 90 Seconds Into Satellite Launch, Marking 2nd 2026 Setback
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Aug 10
China’s Long March-7A Fails 90 Seconds Into Satellite Launch, Marking 2nd 2026 Setback
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Aug 10
Summary
A Long March-7A carrying a communications satellite appeared to explode about 90 seconds after liftoff Monday evening from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern China.
State media confirmed the launch failed, making it the second failure this year for the Long March rocket family and another mission loss for China’s launch program.
Livestream footage showed the rocket breaking up during first-stage flight, though the cause was not immediately disclosed and an investigation is expected.
The Long March-7A is used for missions including placing satellites into geostationary transfer orbit, so the failure adds pressure on a key part of China’s space launch fleet.