Washington. A Chinese space rocket launched last Sunday had an uncontrolled return to the atmosphere on Saturday and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean, US military sources said, without specifying whether the debris had caused any damage.
“The Long March-5B rocket of the People’s Republic of China re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean on July 30 at 10:45 am” (1645 GMT), the US Space Force Command confirmed in its account. Twitter.
For details on the dispersion of the debris and the exact location of the impact, the US military center cited the Chinese authorities, which on July 24 launched the second of the three modules of its space station. Tiangongwhich should be fully operational by the end of the year.
The Long March-5B rocket was not designed to control its descent from orbit, something that, like previous launches, has drawn criticism.
China “has not given precise information on the trajectory of its Long March-5B rocket,” NASA space agency chief Bill Nelson said on Saturday.
“All nations that carry out space activities must adhere to best practices” because the fall of objects of this size “poses a significant risk for the loss of life or property”, added the hierarch.
There is immense heat and friction when craft enter the atmosphere, so parts can burn and disintegrate, but larger craft, like the Long March-5B, may not be completely destroyed.
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