For the fourth time in just over two years, a Chinese rocket is about to make an unguided landing on Earth. Experts urge the population to calm down, assuring that, probably, must fall in uninhabited areas. However, they also express their displeasure at what appears to be a great lack of interest on the part of China National Space Administration.
And it lies in the fact that, unlike other rockets, in which the place of their entry into the atmosphere is controlled or even recycled, Long March 5B they are left to fend for themselves after they release their payload. In this case, the mentioned load was the third phase of the Chinese space agency, Tiangongwhich was successfully launched last Monday.
Now what is left of the Chinese rocket, with 23 tons of mass and size 10 storey buildingHe is preparing to return to Earth. Much of this decays as it passes through the atmosphere. However, as explained insider Experts from the Aerospace Corporation, from 20% to 40% of its mass can survive the fall.
New unclear fate of Chinese missile
In 2020, the remnants of another Chinese missile fell into locality of the Ivory Coast, damaging some buildings. Later, in 2021, another one landed on Indian Ocean, next to the Maldives. In addition, in the same year 2022, in July, what was left of the Long March 5B made landfall with fragments in Malaysia and Indonesia. And in the ocean, next to Philippines.
In this case, as then, it is not yet known exactly where the remains will fall. The location will become more accurate as we approach the landing, which is likely to take place this weekend. However, at the moment, the likely landing area is so vast that it includes 88% of the world’s population. Fortunately, this population is concentrated in very few areas, so it is possible that it would have ended up in the ocean or on uninhabited land areas. Now the situation is generating a lot of tension, not only with China. Also with any other space agency that may leave space junk roaming in space.
And the fact is that, according to a study published this year in Nature, in just 10 years there will be a 10% chance that a piece of space debris could fall on someone. It’s not just some Chinese rocket. These may be the remains of satellites or other displaced vehicles whose re-entry into the atmosphere is not controlled. Said control it is very expensivetherefore, as explained in this study, it would be much more beneficial for agencies to pay compensation in the unlikely event that it reaches the individual.
Let’s hope that’s not the case this weekend. As the landing site becomes more known, action may be taken if it is a densely populated area. However, this is not expected to be necessary. As always, be vigilant, but don’t panic.
Source: Hiper Textual
