The images show fragments flying through the air. The crash of the debris is accompanied by white and blue flashes of light.
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People who documented the phenomenon and posted about it on social media seem to think it is a meteor shower, but it certainly isn’t. Langbroek: “A meteor moves faster through the air. And the time and location also indicate that it is a rocket.”
Six days ago, China launched a ‘big, heavy’ missile. For the enthusiast: it concerns the Long March 5B rocket with launch number 2022-085B. The spacecraft headed for Tiangong space station to deliver material there.
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Parts of that rocket hit the atmosphere over Borneo tonight. “You see fragments of the rocket that ignite in the atmosphere. At about 50 to 80 kilometers altitude. It is a rocket stage. It is enormous: 33 by 5 meters and weighs 18 tons.”
Beautiful phenomenon
It was already clear that the debris would return to Earth. The American Center for Orbital Reentry and Debris Studies (CORDS), among others, warned about this this week. Still, we can be, a little, impressed.
“It is a very beautiful and special phenomenon,” says Langbroek. “An object of this size coming down doesn’t happen very often. Only China lets these very large objects come down uncontrollably.”
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Most countries that launch rockets usually ensure that debris finds a safe way back to Earth. “For example, by letting them crash into the sea,” explains the expert. “But the Chinese don’t do that.”
For example, two years ago a part of a rocket launched on May 5 ended up in a village in the Ivory Coast. No one was injured.
Dangerous
The teacher is therefore critical of the Chinese: “The chance is not very high that something will be hit, but it is still dangerous. You want it to be lowered in a safe place.”
There are currently no reports that the missile components have crashed on land. They probably landed off the coast of Borneo.
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