China's Long March 5 or Long March-5B Y2 rocket, which carried its Tiangon Space Station's module called "Harmony of the Heavens," could crash into Earth's atmosphere. Experts claim that some of the rocket's debris could hit some popular areas.
A prototype of SpaceX's Starship spacecraft is seen at the company's Texas launch facility on September 28, 2019 in Boca Chica near Brownsville, Texas. The Starship spacecraft is a massive vehicle meant to take people to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Previously, the Asian country hailed its Long March 5 launch as successful since it was able to bring the "Harmony of the Heavens" or Tianhe, which will serve as the hub of China's upcoming space station, into orbit.
However, some experts claimed that this 21-ton rocket could make an uncontrollable reentry into Earth's atmosphere in the next few days. Here's why this could happen.
China's Long March 5 Could Crash Back to Earth
China is expecting that its Long March 5 will fall into a designated spot in the ocean. This method is used by private and international space companies so that the rocket's debris will not endanger people's lives.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the SAOCOM 1A and ITASAT 1 satellites, as seen during a long exposure on October 7, 2018 near Santa Barbara, California. After launching the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully returned to land on solid ground near the launch site rather than at sea. The satellites will become part of a six-satellite constellation that will work in tandem with an Italian constellation known as COSMO-SkyMed.
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However, the Long March 5 rocket is currently orbiting the planet in an uncontrolled manner. Because of this, authorities expect the possible uncontrolled reentry of the Chinese rocket will cause debris to fall onto populated areas, which could endanger some properties and residents on the ground.
As of the moment, China hasn't identified the exact places at risk, as reported by Slash Gear. Right now, some experts criticize the Long March 5.
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who usually tracks spacecraft and other objects orbiting space, said that Long March 5's uncontrolled reentry is unacceptable since there is not rocket over ten tons has been left to orbit Earth in an uncontrolled manner ever since 1990.
China to Copy Starship Rocket?
According to Universe Today's latest report, one of China's main rocket manufacturers could develop a Starship-like spacecraft. This info was revealed in the video titled "One Hour Global Arrival in the Space Transportation System."
The footage was presented by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), which is one of the country's main state-owned rocket developers, during the Change'e-5 mission festivities. If you want to know more details, all you need to do is click here.
For more news updates about China's upcoming space station and other space missions, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
