The wreckage of a Chinese rocket has made an uncontrollable re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere over Southeast Asia. Much of the debris would have burned up in the atmosphere as it fell to Earth, and no casualties were reported from the debris, but space officials, including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, have condemned the incident.
“The People’s Republic of China (PRC) did not share specific trajectory information as their Long March 5B rocket fell back to Earth,” Nelson said in a statement. “All astronaut countries should follow established best practices, and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, particularly on the Long March 5 For heavy-duty vehicles like the B, which carry a significant risk of loss of life and property. Doing so is critical to the responsible use of space and ensuring the safety of people on Earth.”
The debris was from the Long March 5B rocket, which was used to launch a module for China’s new space station on Sunday, July 24. The first stage of the rocket entered the atmosphere on Saturday, July 30, Space News reported.
It appears to have seen reentry from Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia. The debris will land in northern Borneo, possibly Brunei. [corrected]
— Jonathan McDowell (@Planet4589) 30 July 2022
This is not the first time that the debris of a Chinese mission has made an uncontrolled reentry. A similar incident happened in May last year when the wreckage of another Long March rocket fell into the Indian Ocean.
Typically, the rocket would use its first stage or booster to provide fuel to propel the rocket up through Earth’s atmosphere. This first stage will be shut down—or, in the case of SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 booster, captured and re-used—before the rocket reaches orbit and returns to Earth as anticipated. The second stage of the rocket will then continue into orbit.
In the case of the Chinese Long March rocket this weekend and last May, both the first and second stages entered orbit. The first stage then fell back to Earth in an unexpected way called uncontrolled reentry. It is more dangerous and it is impossible to predict where the debris will fall and whether it could endanger people or infrastructure.
There is increasing public pressure on space travel countries to take responsibility for the debris they create and to ensure that it does not pose a danger to anyone.
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