First private Chinese attempt to send rocket into space fails

Beijing-based Landscape says 'something abnormal happened' in the third stage of its ZQ-1 rocket

A privately developed Chinese carrier rocket failed to reach orbit after lifting off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Saturday, in a blow to the country's nascent attempts by private companies to rival Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The three-stage rocket, Zhuque-1, was developed by Beijing-based Landspace. The company said in a microblog post after nominal first and second stages that the spacecraft failed to reach orbit as a result of an issue with the third stage.