Experts expect about 5 to 9 metric tons of rocket parts to rain down somewhere on Earth.
The rocket stage is circling much of the inhabited world, but it will most likely land in the ocean.
Sometime this weekend, somewhere on Earth, it s probably going to rain rocket parts.
That s because a 22.5-ton cylinder is hurtling around the planet uncontrolled, losing altitude with each lap. It s the body of China s Long March 5B rocket, which launched the first module of the country s new space station last week.
The rocket body is expected to fall to Earth sometime this weekend, most likely on Saturday. That s according to projections from the US Space Force, Russia s space agency, and the Aerospace Corporation, a nonprofit research firm that receives US funding.
Why you (probably) shouldn t panic about the falling Chinese rocket
A large section of a Long March 5B rocket is predicted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere on May 8 or May 9. Here s what you need to know.
ByNadia Drake
Email
This weekend, a spent, 100-foot-long Chinese rocket is set to plunge through Earth’s atmosphere. A substantial portion of the 22-ton launch vehicle the core stage of a Long March 5B rocket will be obliterated as it descends, although large pieces of debris could survive the fall.
Based on the rocket’s trajectory, estimates suggest that reentry will occur sometime between 10 a.m. ET on Saturday May 8 and 11 a.m. on Sunday May 9.
The Atlantic
Don’t Fall to Pieces Just Because China’s Rocket Is
No one knows where the discarded piece of hardware might land, but there s no reason to panic.
A Long March 5B rocket lifts off from a launch site in ChinaSTR / AFP / Getty
There are many unknowns in the field of space exploration. What came before the Big Bang? What is dark matter? Will we ever make contact with another civilization, or are we destined to remain alone, floating along on this tiny, insignificant speck in the universe?
The latest unknown to captivate the space community is something a little less grand: Where is that giant rocket going to land when it falls out of the sky?