Filed to:18th space control squadron
A Long March 5B rocket, carrying China s Tianhe space station core module, lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China s Hainan province on April 29, 2021. (Photo: STR/AFP, Getty Images)
The U.S. military is tracking an enormous piece of Chinese space debris which is expected to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere sometime around May 8, according to a press release from U.S. Space Command. But as the Pentagon points out, no one knows quite where it will land yet. The space debris in question is formally known as a Long March 5B, the rocket that launched part of China’s Tianhe Space Station into orbit on April 28. As Space News notes, the reentry of this rocket is one of the largest uncontrolled entries in history and there are concerns it could land in an area inhabited by humans.
Tumbling Chinese Rocket Expected to Re-Enter Atmosphere May 8
Travis Tritten, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) The Pentagon said it expects a tumbling Chinese rocket to fall out of orbit and re-enter the Earthâs atmosphere on Saturday, though officials say itâs too early to predict where any debris will land.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is being briefed regularly about the trajectory of the Long March 5B rocket core, which successfully put a portion of Chinaâs first space station into orbit last month, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday. Yet while the rocket is being monitored by U.S. Space Command, Kirby said thereâs little the military can do about it at this point.
Reuters
Published: 06 May 2021 01:34 AM BdST
Updated: 06 May 2021 01:34 AM BdST The Long March-5B Y2 rocket, carrying the core module of China s space station Tianhe, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan province, China April 29, 2021. China Daily via REUTERS.
Debris from a Chinese rocket that sent part of a planned space station into orbit last week is likely to fall in international waters, China s Global Times reported on Wednesday, amid concerns it could cause damage on re-entry to Earth. );
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The Long March 5B blasted off from Hainan island on April 29 carrying the Tianhe module that contains what will become living quarters for three crew on a permanent Chinese space station.
This photo taken on April 23, 2021 shows the Long March 5B rocket, which is expected to launch China s Tianhe space station core module on April 29, at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern China s Hainan province Photograph:( AFP )
Story highlights
Last year, the re-entry debris from the first Long March 5B flight fell on the Ivory Coast damaging several homes in villages
The debris of China s Long March 5B rocket, which last week launched the core module of the country s space station, is set to re-enter the earth s atmosphere this weekend, raising concerns where it could fall and the potential damage it could cause.