China says 'vast majority' of it's rocket 'burned beyond recognition' before crash

The remains of a Chinese rocket, that was hurtling down on Earth at an incredible speed plunged into the Indian Ocean, just west of the Maldives on May 9, according to China National Space Administration (CNSA). The returning Long March-5b vehicle had triggered speculations about potential damage as well as had raised fingers on Beijing’s handling of space debris. However, as it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere at 10:24 am Beijing time, “vast majority” of it was “burned beyond recognition”, confirmed Xinhua news agency.

Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who tracked the tumbling rocket part, said on Twitter, “An ocean re-entry was always statistically the most likely. It appears China won its gamble. But it was still reckless.” In addendum, NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson also issued a statement asserting that it was clear that China was failing to meet responsible standards regarding space debris.

In usual launches, the space rocket is allowed to fall back to earth while it’s still in the atmosphere. However, the Chinese let its 18 ton heavy, main component of the rocket enter earth’s orbit. The CNSA, which is tightly linked to the country’s military, hasn’t answered as of now.

Sighting in Saudi Arabia

While Beijing clarified that the debris dived in the Indian ocean at a point 72.47° East and 2.65° North sans causing damage, scores of people in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan reportedly saw it passing overhead before dawn. Meanwhile, the US Space Command plainly confirmed the rocket’s presence over the Arabian peninsula before crash landing near the Maldives. “It is unknown if the debris impacted land or water,” said US Space Com.

What is Long March 5B?

Long March 5B put an unmanned Tianhe module as part of T-shaped Chinese Space Station which is scheduled completed by late 2022. This rocket is set to be followed by 10 more missions to complete the 66 ton Chinese Space station, which will be far lighter than the ISS which weighs around 419 tons.  In May, last year, a part of China's Long March 5B (CZ–5B) rocket crash-landed in the Atlantic Ocean, as per Science Alert. The debris was reportedly the rocket's core and was 30.48 meters, weighing almost 18,000 kgs - making it the biggest rocket debris to fall in the Ocean since 1991. Reports stated that the rocket was launched on 5 May 2020 and had spent several days in orbit before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere and crashing off the west coast of northwest Africa.

Image: AP