Under international guidelines, rockets are supposed to return to Earth in a controlled way, but the 30-metre-long rocket is spiralling out of control. Weighing around 22.5 tonnes, it’s one of the most massive pieces of space junk to make an uncontrolled re-entry to Earth.
US Defense Secretary Austin says the military has no plan to shoot the tumbling Chinese rocket-stage down but hints at US capabilities in space to do so.
As of now failed Chinese rockets are heading towards #NewYork as per US media reports.
Space News reports that the booster of a large Chinese rocket could come crashing to Earth in the coming days. Where the debris will land is anyone’s guess.
Long March 5, also known as Chang Zheng 5, is a Chinese heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. It is the first Chinese launch vehicle designed to use exclusively non-hypergolic liquid propellants.
The seemingly uncontrolled reentry is the CZ-5B core of China’s Long March 5B, which was used to launch the module into orbit for the construction of a Chinese space station.
According to Space News, if the nearly 100-foot long object makes its way back into Earth’s atmosphere, it would be “the biggest human-made objects to perform an uncontrolled reentry.”
Many suggested that an uncontrolled booster of Chinese failed rocker mission might be heading towards New York. But it looks like the Biden administration doesn’t want to be xenophobic and hurt the Chinese sentiments.
