Debris of Chinese rocket fell near the settlement (video)

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.