China’s Global Times said debris from Long March 5B, which was blown up from Hainan Island on April 29, could fall into international waters even if the point of re-entry of the missile remains unclear.
The Long March-5B Y2 rocket with the core module of the Chinese Tianhe space station will be launched on April 29 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province. (Photo: Reuters)
Debris from a Chinese rocket that launched part of a planned space station last week is likely to fall into international waters, China’s Global Times reported on Wednesday, as it fears it could cause damage if it re-entered Earth.
The long March 5B flew on from Hainan Island April 29th with the “Tianhe” module, which contains living quarters for three crew members on a permanent Chinese space station.
The re-entry point remains unclear, but the Global Times, a tabloid published by the official People’s Daily, described reports that the missile was “out of control” and could cause damage as “Western hype”. The situation was “not worth panic”, it said, citing industry experts.
“Most of the debris burns on reentry … and very little remains that can fall to the ground and potentially end up in areas outside of human activity or in the ocean,” said Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge Magazine quoted in the newspaper.
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The Department of Defense said The US Space Command tracked the missile’s location and that re-entry should be around May 8th.
“All debris can pose a potential threat to space safety and the space domain,” the Pentagon said, adding that California’s 18th Space Control Squadron will provide daily updates on the missile’s location starting May 4th.
The White House said the United States is determined to address the risks of space debris overload and wants to work with the international community “to promote leadership and responsible space conduct.”
The Global Times also quoted aerospace expert Song Zhongping as saying that China’s own space surveillance network will closely monitor the areas under the missile’s flight path and take steps to prevent damage to passing ships.
The Long March 5B’s eco-friendly fuel wouldn’t pollute the ocean, he added.
“Overall, it is another hyping of the so-called ‘China Space Threat’ that has been taken over by some Western forces,” said Song.
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