HELSINKI — China added a new pair of satellites to its Beidou positioning and navigation system late Monday, but spent stages from the launch landed within inhabited areas.
A Long March 3B equipped with a Yuanzheng-1 upper stage lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 10:26 p.m. Eastern Dec. 25 (0326 UTC, Dec. 26), successfully delivering two Beidou satellites into medium Earth orbit (MEO).
The YZ-1 upper stage inserted the satellites into 21,532 by 22,193-kilometer orbits inclined by 55 degrees, according to U.S. Space Force space domain awareness. The satellites were developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) under CASC, the country’s main space contractor.
The spacecraft are the 57th and 58th Beidou satellites to be launched. The pair will act as backups and reduce the operational risks to the Beidou-3 system, according to a CASC statement.
Meanwhile, a pair of the side boosters from the Long March 3B rocket used for the launch appear to have fallen to ground near inhabited areas in Guangxi region, downrange of Xichang in Sichuan province, according to apparent bystander footage appearing on Chinese social media.
One video shows a booster falling within a forested area and exploding, while another shows a falling booster and later, wreckage next to a home.
The presence of reddish-brown gas or smoke indicative of nitrogen tetroxide is visible in both, while a yellowish gas, possibly the results of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel mixing with air, can be seen next to the building.
The first stage and four side boosters of the Long March 3B use the hypergolic propellant combination of hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. Both the nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer and UDMH fuel present serious health risks.
The areas, stated to be near Baise and Debao in Guangxi, appear consistent with drop zones indicated by airspace closure notices.
It is one of many incidents of boosters…
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