One of the stages of the Long March 2C rocket, launched the day before from the Xichang spaceport in southwest China, separated prematurely and fell near a village in Guizhou province. This was reported by Spase News, citing videos published on social media.
According to the source, the fuel typically used in such rockets is a hypergolic mixture (igniting on contact without any external ignition source) of nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH), which can be toxic. The videos show reddish-brown gas billowing from the rocket stage as it falls.
The Long March 2C, carrying the French-Chinese SVOM (Space Variable Objects Monitor) satellite telescope, was launched the day before at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time (12:00 a.m. Yerevan time). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) declared the launch successful shortly after liftoff, and official Beijing has not reported the incident with the falling rocket stage.
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