In January 2024, there was an incident at LandSpace’s research center in Shanghai, initially rumored to be a huge explosion. However, LandSpace, a private aerospace company in China, clarified that the incident was actually a normal experiment at its rocket fuel storage tank. The experiment involved a low-temperature static blasting test on the fuel storage tank. During this process, some glass was damaged, and three workers on site received minor scratches, but there were no serious injuries reported. The experiment’s control process functioned normally under a pressure of 0.65 megapascals. LandSpace has several research and development bases across China and is known for its development of liquid-fueled rocket propulsion systems. In July 2023, they achieved a significant milestone with the successful maiden mission of the world’s first liquid oxygen, liquid methane carrier rocket developed by the company, marking a breakthrough in China’s commercial aerospace sector.
Separately, there was another incident in October 2021 at China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. This explosion caused severe damage to the rocket facilities at the site. The Jiuquan spaceport, established in 1958, is a significant location for China’s space endeavors, hosting major orbital launches, including the country’s Shenzhou human spaceflight missions. The explosion’s aftermath was revealed through commercial satellite imagery, indicating that it likely occurred at a facility used for testing solid rocket motors. The exact cause of the explosion and its implications were not immediately clear, though it didn’t seem to affect the main launch activities at Jiuquan. This site has been undergoing expansion to accommodate the increasing demands for space launch facilities.