BEIJING: The remnants of China’s largest rocket crashed back to Earth on Sunday, landing in the Indian Ocean, according to Chinese state media, ending days of speculation over where the debris would hit.
According to details, parts of the 30-metre core of the Long March 5B rocket re-entered the atmosphere at 10.24am and landed at a location with the coordinates of longitude 72.47 degrees east and latitude 2.65 degrees north.
The coordinates put the point of impact in the ocean somewhere southwest of India and Sri Lanka. Citing Chinese Manned Space Engineering office, the Chinese media reported that most of the debris burned up in the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the US Space command confirmed the re-entry of the rocket over the Arabian Peninsula, but said it was unknown if the debris impacted land or water. “The exact location of the impact and the span of debris, both of which are unknown at this time, will not be released by US Space Command,” it said.
The 98-foot-long, 20-ton section rocket launched on April 29 carried part of the country’s new space station, and was the first of the expected 11 missions necessary to complete the project.
It’s common for parts of rockets to fall back to Earth, but this piece caused concern because its lack of control meant that experts weren’t sure where on the planet it would strike.
Earlier on Friday, China’s foreign ministry said that most debris from the 30-metre long rocket would burn on re-entry and that it was highly unlikely to cause any harm, after the US military said that an uncontrolled re-entry was being tracked by US Space Command.
