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A 21-ton uncontrolled Chinese rocket is expected to hit Earth this weekend, the Daily Mail reported. For days, Changzheng 5B has been orbiting the planet at a speed of 27,600 km / h. Scientists cannot predict exactly where and when it will strike.
On April 29, China launched the Changzheng 5B with the first module of its new Tianhe space station, which is under construction. After the cargo was delivered, however, the rocket’s main body began to enter Earth’s orbit uncontrollably.
Much of the aircraft is expected to burn in the air as the atmosphere becomes denser at about 60 km above the surface. However, the parts that do not burn completely will fall to Earth. If all this happens out of control, the place where the rocket burns and where the debris will fall cannot be accurately predicted.
The first image of the rocket in orbit was released by Italian astronomers on Friday. They were able to see that the Changzheng 5B was moving extremely fast and at the time of the photo was at an altitude of about 700 km and looked like a glowing light.
The latest information shows that the spacecraft will hit the Earth on Saturday, May 8, and will eventually rain debris in populated areas.
Astronomers expect parts to hit the Pacific Ocean near the equator after passing over the eastern cities of the United States. The orbit covers part of the planet from New Zealand to the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The approximately 30-meter module would be among the largest space debris to fall to Earth.
But astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Center for Astrophysics said it was unknown where the rocket would fall. According to him, in the worst case, the impact will look like the crash of a small plane, but for hundreds of kilometers.
On Thursday, the United States said it was monitoring the site’s path, but had no plans to demolish it at the moment. “We hope he will land in a place where he will not harm anyone. Hopefully in the ocean or something like that, “said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. However, he half-criticized Beijing for losing control of the missile.
China, on the other hand, claims that Changzheng 5B will burn almost completely when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, posing a very small threat to humans and Earth’s property.
The wreckage of the first flight of the rocket in May 2020 fell in Côte d’Ivoire six days after its launch and damaged several houses.
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