A Chinese firm's answer to SpaceX's Falcon 9 blew up in a giant fireball after it accidentally launched during a test

A Long March-4C rocket carrying the satellite Shiyan-23 blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 12, 2024. On June 30, Chinese private space firm Tianbing Aerospace Technology said its Tianlong-3 rocket accidentally launched during an engine test.

Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua via Getty Images

• Chinese space firm Tianbing Aerospace Technology said it accidentally launched a rocket it was testing.
• The Tianlong-3 is designed as a rival to SpaceX's Falcon 9, with a similar takeoff mass and reflight.