A large fragment of a Chinese space rocket disintegrated on Sunday as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere, and its wreckage fell into the Indian Ocean west of the Maldives, Chinese officials said.
18 ton heavy launch vehicle “Long March 5B Yao-2” The fragment entered the atmosphere shortly before half a morning after Latvian time.
The launcher launched the main module of China’s new space station into orbit last week.
The rocket then entered temporary orbit, orbiting the Earth in 90 minutes. However, it was not possible to determine exactly when and where it would enter the atmosphere. Therefore, there were concerns that the missile debris could fall on the settlement.
However, most experts said that the rocket would fall into the ocean, as 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that the United States Armed Forces had no plans to launch the missile, and also hoped it would land in the ocean.
In May 2020, six days after the first Long-March 5B flight, its wreckage collapsed in western Africa in Côte d’Ivoire, damaging several homes in some villages.
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