Long March 7A failure

Where things stand

A Long March 7A exploded shortly after take-off on Monday night, destroying the communications satellite on board. China attributes the loss to a flight anomaly; the South China Morning Post reports knock-on effects for the country's launch schedule.

The Long March 7A is one of the carrier rockets China's state space programme uses to put satellites into orbit. A failure during ascent destroys the payload outright and can push back later missions that depend on the same rocket. This topic tracks one such failed flight and what it costs China's launch plans.