Science ministry confirms Chinese rocket debris in Sulu Sea, S'wak
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has confirmed the presence of debris from a Chinese rocket in Sarawak that re-entered the earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean last night.
In a joint statement with the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), it said the incident occurred at 12.55am this morning.
“The rocket debris had burned when...
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has confirmed the presence of debris from a Chinese rocket in Sarawak that re-entered the earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean last night.
In a joint statement with the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), it said the incident occurred at 12.55am this morning.
“The rocket debris had burned when entering the earth’s atmosphere, crossing Malaysian airspace. It can be detected in several locations including in Sarawak’s airspace.
According to Reuters, the Long March 5B took off on July 24 to deliver a laboratory module to the new Chinese space station under construction in orbit, marking the third flight of China’s most powerful rocket since its maiden launch in 2020.
Nasa said Beijing had not shared the “specific trajectory information” needed to know where possible debris might fall.
Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson said that all spacefaring nations should follow best practices and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk.
“Doing so is critical to the responsible use of space and to ensure the safety of people here on Earth,” he said.
Aerospace Corp, a government-funded non-profit research centre near Los Angeles, said it was reckless to allow the rocket’s entire main-core stage to return to Earth in an uncontrolled re-entry.
The rocket body weighed approximately 22,500kg.
Analysts had reportedly said earlier this week that the rocket body would disintegrate as it entered the atmosphere, however, some pieces may survive to rain debris over an area some 2,000km long by about 70km wide.
Previously, several chunks of another Chinese Long March 5B landed on the Ivory Coast in 2020, which damaged a few buildings in that West African nation. No injuries were reported.
Video recordings of several bright objects seen streaking across the night sky, believed to be debris from Long March 5B, have been shared on social media.
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