Explained: Why a China Rocket Crashing in the Indian Ocean Has Drawn NASA Flak
For days, there had been speculation on whether the Chinese rocket's debris would hit a populated area on the Earth’s surface.
Editorial Staff
Explained: Why a China Rocket Crashing in the Indian Ocean Has Drawn NASA Flak
Debris from a Chinese rocket Sunday made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean, with remnants falling at a location to the west of Maldives. The debris came from the upper stage of a Long March 5B rocket– China’s largest– that had been launched into space on April 29 for putting into orbit a core module of the new Tianhe space station, which is expected to become operational in 2022. For days, there had been speculation on whether the debris would hit a populated area on the Earth’s surface, leading NASA to criticise China on Sunday over lack of transparency and for “failing to meet responsible standards”. Why Did the Chinese Rocket Spark Worry? When a rocket is launched, its discarded booster stages re-enter the atmosphere soon after liftoff and harmlessly fall into the ocean– a standard practice. In this case, however, a 10-floor large vehicle of the rocket weighing 18 metric tonnes went into orbit along with the section of the unde…
