China’s attempt to compete with SpaceX faced a setback when the Tianlong 3 rocket failed during a launch attempt, according to reports.

The rocket, developed by Space Pioneer, experienced a flight anomaly shortly after liftoff from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, and the cause is still under investigation.

Designed as China’s counterpart to the Falcon 9, the reusable rocket is intended to support large satellite networks aimed at rivaling systems like Starlink.

The failure highlights ongoing technical challenges in China’s reusable rocket program, which has already seen previous setbacks and extensive redesign efforts, NDTV has reported.

Despite ambitious plans to deploy thousands of satellites, China still trails SpaceX in overall satellite deployment and launch experience.