Chinese rocket: Rocket debris re-entered atmosphere over Indian Ocean, US Space Force says

China’s 23-ton Long March 5B rocket, which delivered the new module to the space station, took off from Hainan Island at 2:22 pm local time on Sunday, July 24, and the module successfully docked with a Chinese orbital outpost. Did. The rocket has continued its uncontrolled descent into the Earth’s atmosphere ever since. accused It was caused by not properly handling space debris from the rocket stage.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday, I have written China “did not share specific trajectory information” when the rocket hit Earth.

“It is important to do so in order to use space responsibly and to ensure the safety of people on Earth,” he added.

China’s manned space agency said in a statement that the rocket wreckage re-entered the atmosphere at around 12:55 am Beijing time on Sunday.

The agency added that most of the wreckage was destroyed during the re-entry process in the Sulu Sea, between Borneo and the Philippines.

“What we really want to know is if there was any debris that actually ended up sitting on the ground,” McDowell told CNN. “It may take some more time for the report to filter.”

A video posted online appears to indicate what experts believe is an image of a rocket booster burning up in the atmosphere, but CNN cannot confirm its authenticity.

Vanessa Juran, who lives in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, shared a video with CNN that shows what appears to be debris from a rocket burning.

She told CNN that she filmed the footage around 12:50 a.m. local time, the same as Beijing time.