Emergency at Chinese Cosmodrome: Lightning Strikes a Flying Rocket (VIDEO)

During the launch of China's Changzheng-3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, lightning struck the vehicle at the 35th second of flight, hitting the nose cone and discharging to the ground through the fuselage. Preliminary analysis showed no damage, and the rocket successfully continued its mission thanks to electronic protection. Experts noted that similar incidents have occurred with other rockets, including Saturn V and Soyuz-2.

During the launch of the heavy-lift Changzheng-3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, lightning struck the flying vehicle at the 35th second of flight. The discharge hit the nose cone and traveled to the ground through the fuselage and the engine exhaust plume. Despite the dramatic footage, preliminary analysis indicated that the spacecraft and its onboard systems suffered no damage. The rocket successfully continued its flight thanks to reliable protection of electronics against atmospheric phenomena. Experts noted that similar incidents have occurred in the history of astronautics—with the American Saturn V and Russian Soyuz-2—and in all cases, the strikes did not lead to disasters. The Changzheng-3B rocket remains one of the key workhorses of the Chinese space program, regularly delivering heavy satellites to geostationary orbit.