Surprise Chinese lunar mission hit by launch anomaly A pair of Chinese spacecraft, apparently intended for lunar orbit, have potentially been lost following an issue with a Long March rocket's upper stage on Wednesday.
The anomaly may not have a great impact on China’s wider launch plans, as the rocket’s first and second stage performed nominally, and the issue isolated to the infrequently-used YZ-1S upper stage.
Unlikely sabotage, it’s probably just a lesser tested component of the stack failing. Space is really hard.
Unlikely sabotage, it’s probably just a lesser tested component of the stack failing. Space is really hard.