Posted: Fri, Mar 20, 2020, 9:07 PM ET (0107 GMT)
The first launch of a new variant of a Chinese rocket failed Monday. A Long March 7A rocket lifted off from the coastal Wenchang Satellite Launch Center at 9:34 am EDT (1334 GMT), but state-run media reported about two hours later that the launch had failed. The report gave no additional information about the cause of the failure. The Long March 7A is a version of the Long March 7, which had made two prior, successful launches, with an upper stage adapted from the one used on the Long March 3B. Depending on what caused the failure, other Chinese rockets could be grounded, including the Long March 5.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Space.com article
•  Aviation Week article
•  Xinhua article