China on Saturday launched two new navigation satellites into orbit.
A Long March 3B rocket launched the two Beidou navigation satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launching Center at China’s Sichuan province at 8.55 am, space.com reported.
The rocket was equipped with a Yuanzheng-1 (Exploration-1) upper stage to help deliver the satellites to their final orbit.
While the Long March 3B rocket successfully delivered its satellite payload to orbit, boosters from the three-stage rocket appear to have crashed into a settlement downrange from the Xichang launch site.
Video and images shared on China’s Wiebo social media service show buildings on fire and damaged, apparently by debris from the Long March 3B, which can be strewn across the area.