The launch of the Chinese Kinetica-1 rocket ended in failure for the first time.

According to data from CAS Space, the company that owns the Kinetica-1 rocket, a failure occurred three seconds after the third-stage engine ignited, triggering the flight termination system. As a result, the rocket self-destructed.

Kinetica-1 made its debut in 2022. The rocket measures 29.7 meters in length and has a diameter of 2.65 meters. Kinetica-1 is capable of delivering up to two tons of payload to low Earth orbit.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. This launch marked the 68th launch of a space rocket in China in 2024. Thus, the country has set a new national record for launches in a calendar year. It's worth noting that in 2023, China conducted 67 launches.

Currently, the country ranks second in launches for 2024, following the United States, which has completed over 150 launches, including those of Rocket Lab rockets from New Zealand, and surpasses Russia, which has conducted 17 launches.

Overall, China has significantly fallen short of the projected 100 launches that were announced at the beginning of the year by the state-owned main space contractor CASC. This number included approximately 70 launches from CASC and 30 from commercial companies.