The US does not plan “for now” to shoot down the Chinese rocket uncontrolled

San Francisco, May 7 (EFE) .- The United States has no plans “for now” to shoot down the Chinese Long March 5B rocket, which travels uncontrollably at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour and is expected to enter the atmosphere at night. from Saturday to Sunday, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“At the moment, we have no plans to shoot down the rocket. We hope it will hit a place where it will not harm anyone, such as the ocean or another similar place,” the Pentagon chief said at a press conference.
The latest forecast is for the rocket to enter the atmosphere at 23:59 GMT on Saturday, with a margin of error of plus or minus 7 hours and 45 minutes, although the most accurate estimates can only be made a few hours before re-entry. .
When asked if the US has the technical capacity to shoot down the rocket in case it is necessary, Austin replied that they have the capacity to “do a lot of things”, but insisted that at the moment there are no plans regarding the rocket.
The US defense chief also launched a veiled criticism of China, noting that those who operate in space have a duty to do so “in a safe and thoughtful manner.”
The Long March 5B, which was used last week by China to launch one of the modules of its future space station into space, has an estimated mass that ranges between 17 and 21 tons and a size of about 30 meters, which makes it one of the largest chunks of debris to return to the atmosphere, hence its continued vigilance.
According to the latest forecasts, the debris of the rocket that could fall to Earth would do so at some point between the parallels 41 north and south, with the highest probability in the Atlantic Ocean, followed by the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

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