Tiangong Launch Delayed Due to CZ-2C Failure

September 1, 2011 | 12:34 pm
Gregory Kulacki
China Project Manager

Despite earlier reports to the contrary by Chinese “experts”, the launch of Tiangong I has been delayed pending a full review of the cause of the failure of the Long March-2C (CZ-2C) launch vehicle earlier this month.

According to a spokesperson from China’s Manned Space Engineering Office, the CZ-2C launch vehicle that failed during flight on August 18 and the CZ-2F launcher that will be used to launch the Tiangong I “are of the same rocket series” and “the investigation into the failure is currently underway.”

The spokesperson added that it is “unclear” if cause of the CZ-2C failure could impact the CZ-2F.

Posted in: Global Security

Tags: China

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Gregory Kulacki is a Senior Analyst and the China Project Manager for the Global Security Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). He is also a Visiting Fellow at the Research Center for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (RECNA) at Nagasaki University. He works on improving cross-cultural communication between the United States of America, China and Japan on nuclear weapons and related security issues. Prior to joining UCS in 2002, Dr. Kulacki was the Director of External Studies at Pitzer College, an Associate Professor of Government at Green Mountain College and the China Director for the Council on International Educational Exchange. Gregory completed his doctorate in government and politics at the University of Maryland College Park.