China has suffered a rare failure of one of its newer-generation Long March rockets, losing a communications satellite after the launcher exploded shortly after take-off on Monday night. Around 8pm Beijing time, the 60-metre (197-foot) Long March 7A blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the southern island of Hainan, piercing the night sky as it carried the ChinaSat-4B satellite towards high Earth orbit. But less than 90 seconds into the flight, the rocket erupted into a fireball engulfed in thick black smoke, according to videos posted on social media by spectators near the launch site. Space observers suggested a major anomaly may have triggered the rocket’s flight termination system, destroying the vehicle. Both the rocket and satellite were lost over the South China Sea.

Full report : China says Long March 7A rocket launch failed after flight anomaly.