CRASH COURSE
21-ton Chinese rocket falling to Earth tumbles out of control and could shower debris on NY or Madrid
Tariq Tahir
Updated: 16:48, 4 May 2021
A HUGE Chinese rocket is making an uncontrolled re-entry back to Earth and could land on a major city, experts have warned.
The 21-ton Long March 5b is returning to earth after launching the first module of China s new space station and could land anywhere in a red zone that includes New York and Madrid.
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The rocket is currently hurtling back to earth at four miles a second and could fall anywhere between 41 degrees north and south of the equator, an area that also takes in Beijing, Sydney, Delhi and Rio de Janeiro.
A Chinese rocket will make an uncontrolled reentry in the coming days
Shane McGlaun - May 2, 2021, 11:26am CDT
Recently China launched a Long March-5B Y2 rocket into space that carried its first space station module into orbit. While China hailed the launch as completely successful, it turns out something has gone wrong. The 21-ton core stage of the rocket is expected to make an uncontrolled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere in the next few days.
An uncontrolled reentry has the potential to cause debris to fall onto populated areas posing a risk to property and lives on the ground. The rocket was supposed to fall into a designated spot in the ocean, which is common for discarded rockets. However, rather than deorbiting as planned, the rocket continues to orbit the planet uncontrolled.