After initial industry speculation later reports from the Chinese state-media and the company confirmed that a launch of a small rocket took place, but resulted in a failure. The rocket in question was a Hyperbola 1/SQX-1 small launch vehicle built by iSpace. This solid, four-stage launch vehicle was attempting a return-to-flight after a previous failure earlier in the year in February.
The launch occurred at 0739 GMT on 3 August from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. The company identified the fault as a failure of the fairings to separate, meaning the payload was unable to attain its targeted 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit.
Comment by Matt Wilson: Additional speculation surrounds the lost payload, with a strong leaning towards a next-generation, small, Earth Observation satellite from Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. being the unfortunate passenger. Chang Guang builds and operates the Jilin 1 EO constellation providing a mix of imagery and video products spanning a broad selection of wavelengths and resolutions.
