The 23-ton body of the rocket that took China’s third and final piece of the new Tiangong space station is coming back to Earth uncontrolled this weekend.
What Happened: China, on Monday, launched the uncrewed Mengtian, or “Dreaming of the Heavens” module, atop its most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B, from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre.
The rocket took the Mengtian module into space, and gave it the last push into Earth’s orbit before detaching itself and returning to the planet, reported Business Insider.
Unlike modern rockets, designed to push themselves into the Pacific Ocean, this Chinese rocket body fell into its own orbit and is now on track to descend into the atmosphere again — an event also known as “re-entry.” It is expected to fall on Earth on Friday or early Saturday, as per Eastern time zone.
Although it is not known where the rocket debris will fall as nobody controls it, it’s unlikely that any of it from space will hit people, according to experts.
Some of the Long March rocket body will likely burn up as it plows through the atmosphere, experts at the Aerospace Corporation previously told the publication, adding that it is too large to disintegrate completely. A rule of thumb is that 20% to 40% of a large object’s mass will survive its fall through the atmosphere, the report said.
This is not the first time that the debris of a rocket launched by Beijing is returning to Earth uncontrolled. There have been three instances in the past – in 2020, 2021, and July 2022– when chunks fell back on Earth and caused damage to infrastructure.
Space-industry leaders have often criticized China for the practice of uncontrolled re-entry because of the risk it poses to human life and property.
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