The 100-foot-tall, 22-metric-ton Chinese Long March 5B rocket that launched the first chunk of Beijing’s new space station has reentered Earth’s atmosphere near the Maldives.
Chinese rocket updates: Debris splashes down in Indian Ocean
Remnants of Chinese rocket hurtles toward Earth
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Latest update, 12:36 a.m.: The rocket has reentered Earth s atmosphere and fell into the Indian ocean north of the Maldives at latitude 22.2, longitude 50.0, according to an update from Space-Track.
Latest update, 11:45 p.m.: The rocket has reentered Earth s atmosphere, according to U.S. Space Command, which has been providing updates via Space-Track. The Space Command said it believes the rocket splashed down in the Indian Ocean, but was waiting for official confirmation from 18 Space Control Squadron. The official China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, meanwhile, said on Weibo it had reentered the Earth s atmosphere at 10:24 p.m. ET and provided coordinates: around 72.47° east longitude and 2.65° north latitude. Those coordinates would put it in the northern Indian Ocean, near the Maldives.