China's Kuaizhou-11 rocket fails on maiden launch after 3-year delay; 6 satellites lost

The first launch of Kuaizhou-11, a solid-fueled carrier rocket, failed after its liftoff from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on July 10

The first launch of Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11), a solid-fueled carrier rocket, failed after its liftoff from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on July 10. According to media reports, KZ-11 failed to reach its intended orbit and the specific reasons behind the failure are currently being analysed and investigated.

The launch of the rocket, developed by ExPace Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), was already delayed by three years and ended up in a failure. The low-cost solid-fueled carrier rocket, with a lift-off mass of 70.8 tonnes, was designed to launch low-Earth and Sun-synchronous orbit satellites.

The Kuaizhou-11 has a larger diameter and stronger capacity with respect to the other rockets from Kuaizhou series launched previously. It can lift a 1.0-ton payload to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometres. The three-stage rocket is reportedly based on the DF-21 missile and consists of three solid-fueled stages