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The first satellite mission of a private Chinese space company has failed. Landspace's "Zhuque-1" rocket failed to land after its launch on Saturday afternoon (local time). This was announced by Landspace on the WeChat Short Message Service.
The 19-meter "Zhuque-1" multi-stage rocket had a satellite on board and was able to take off from China's Jiuquan Space Center in the Gobi Desert. The problems began when the third stage of the rocket was fired, the company said.
Up to now 30 Chinese missile launches in 2018
If successful, Landspace would have been the first Chinese commercial venture to launch a satellite. Until now, Western companies such as Arianespace, SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, and Rocket Lab, in Los Angeles, control the space transportation industry.
"Zhuque" means "vermilion bird", symbol of Chinese mythology. Landspace is one of 60 commercial space companies in China, according to the Xinhua official news agency. The first rocket launch of a private Chinese company was successful in May this year. According to the US Space Agency Nasa, a total of thirty rockets would have been launched in China just in 2018.
The country's space program is mainly run by the state placed under the control of the army. The government has ambitious plans in the space. In addition to other flights on the Moon, a mission to Mars is planned, in which a landing vehicle with a rover on the red planet will be abandoned. In addition, China plans to build its own space station.
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