Technology
Huge out-of-control Chinese rocket to hit Earth Sunday: Here's what we know
Expert estimates suggest the spacecraft wreckage would fall somewhere between the 41st parallel, most likely in the ocean
July 29, 2022 4:20pm
Updated: July 29, 2022 5:31pm
Experts and safety agencies are predicting that a large Chinese rocket will speed back to Earth this weekend, according to Science Alert. The falling space debris is part of a massive 23 metric ton propellant belonging to the Great March 5B rocket, which is traveling uncontrolled at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour.
The rocket departed last Sunday to deliver a laboratory module to China's new space station, currently under construction.
According to the latest data from its monitoring, the remains of the massive rocket could enter the Earth's atmosphere between 20:53 Saturday (18:53 GMT) and 12:53 Sunday (10:53 GMT).
More accurate estimates can only be made a few hours before re-entry.
The booster is 53.6 meters high, according to The Aerospace Corporation, the entity in charge of tracking the rocket.
The agency also assured that, despite the uncontrolled nature of its re-entry, there is very little probability the debris will land in a populated area, according to Uno TV.
Our latest prediction for #CZ5B rocket body reentry is:
— The Aerospace Corporation (@AerospaceCorp) July 28, 2022
🚀31 Jul 2022 00:24 UTC ± 16 hours
Reentry will be along one of the ground tracks shown here. It is still too early to determine a meaningful debris footprint. Follow this page for updates: https://t.co/SxrMtcJnj0 pic.twitter.com/CZRQBClOAg
Expert estimates suggest that the debris from the spacecraft would fall somewhere between the 41st parallel, most likely into the ocean, if it does not disintegrate completely in the Earth's atmosphere.
However, with the possibility of it affecting airspace, the United States and the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Service (EUSST) are also monitoring it.
This is the third time China has been held accountable for failing to properly handle space debris, CNN reported.
In April 2018, the Tiangong 1 orbital laboratory, which was also out of use since 2016 re-entered Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean, causing no damage, Deutsche Welle recalled.
However, in 2020, a large pipe belonging to a Chinese rocket fell on a village in Ivory Coast, where it damaged some buildings.
There was no loss of life, reported BBC Mundo.
