A launch of a Long March 3 rocket in China on November 22 successfully delivered its payload to orbit, but with severe consequences on the ground. A spent stage from the booster came crashing back to Earth, destroying a home in a rural area downrange from the launch complex. Worse still, the stage still had highly toxic hypergolic fuel aboard, but no injuries have yet been reported. This is not the first time a booster stage has crashed downrange in China, and is one reason NASA and other space agencies generally build their launch complexes on the coasts (so that any falling debris will land harmlessly in the ocean).
Impact site of a Long March 3 upper stage that crashed in a rural area shortly after launch.
Credit: Y. Loo