Chinese rocket debris set to hurtle to Earth

Debris from the large Chinese rocket Long March 5B is projected to crash back to Earth in the next few days, US Space Command has said. The agency is currently tracking the remains of the rocket, which had been launched by China in late April. 

"Its exact entry point cannot be pinpointed until within hours of its reentry, which is expected around May 8," Space Command said in a statement published this week.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said Wednesday the Biden administration continues to monitor the debris and added "we want to work with the international community to promote leadership and responsible space behaviors."

Harvard-based astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell has called the situation "really negligent on China's part."

"Things more than 10 tons, we don't let them fall out of the sky uncontrolled deliberately," McDowell said. However, he also acknowledged that any debris was likely to fall in the sea, given that ocean covers about 70% of the globe, with around 90% of the world's population living on around 10% of its land.

How has China framed the situation?

China has downplayed the risk of the debris hitting Earth and causing damage. The state-run Global Times newspaper said Wednesday the situation is "not worth panicking about."

"Most of the debris will burn up during reentry… leaving only a small portion that may fall to the ground, which will potentially land on areas away from human activities or in the ocean," the chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, Wang Yanan, told the Communist Party-aligned outlet. 

China sent the Long March HB rocket into space on April 29. The rocket carried the Tianhe or "Heavenly Harmony" module, the first step in its construction of the Tiangong Space Station.

wd/msh (dpa, Reuters)