With the arrival of mega constellations like SpaceX's Starlink, satellite numbers are expected to increase from about 3,000 today to tens of thousands in the near future. Satellite must routinely dodge space junk, and the rates are rapidly increasing. In space, meanwhile, there is an ever-growing risk of collision events between debris. The chances of you being hit by space junk are exceedingly low, perhaps one in several trillion – but the chances of damage being caused are much less remote. Countries are liable for damage caused, but not much else. The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) sets a loose 25-year-guideline for operators to remove satellites at the end of their lifetime, but nations are responsible for enforcing this themselves.Ĭrashing into another satellite could pose legal ramifications, yet none materialized between Iridium and Russia in 2009 – Iridium couldn’t work out who to take action against.Īnd even littering debris on Earth results in little more than a slap on the wrist from others. Yet there is no “space police” to control these activities. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese government for comment this week.NASA was jokingly fined $400 for littering after Skylab's re-entry. The China Manned Space Engineering Office reported that the booster re-entered at 6:08 a.m.
State media outlets have played down concerns, the BBC has reported, with China's Global Times newspaper citing Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, as saying: "Most of the debris will burn up during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, leaving only a very small portion that may fall to the ground, which will potentially land on areas away from human activities or in the ocean." China is ready to work with all relevant parties to make joint efforts for the peaceful use of outer space and safeguarding space security." People watch a Long March 5B rocket, carrying China's Tianhe space station core module, as it lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan province on April 29, 2021. He said: "I would like to reiterate that China is always committed to the peaceful use of outer space and stands for international cooperation in this regard. He told Newsweek on Tuesday: "I am basing my assessment on the fact that we are 2-for-2 on the Long March 5B not deorbiting itself."Ĭhina's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not directly discuss the rocket when asked about it in a press conference on Thursday. Some, such as Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, have speculated China is not controlling its descent. The Long March 5B launched on April 29 as part of a mission to deliver the first section of China's upcoming Tiangong space station into orbit.Īfter delivering the module, the rocket remained in space and its altitude has slowly been decreasing. It added this time may be re-adjusted as more details about the rocket's orbit become known. The Italy-based Virtual Telescope Project has said it will host a live stream of the rocket's re-entry, starting at 10:40 p.m.
Hopefully in the ocean, or someplace like that." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly told journalists on Thursday: "We're hopeful that it will land in a place where it won't harm anyone.
It is thought to be orbiting around the planet at about 18,000 miles per hour. A Chinese rocket booster that helped launch part of a space station into orbit plummeted to Earth Saturday over Southeast Asia, U.S. This, coupled with the rocket's about 100-foot length and weight of around 20 tons, has given rise to concerns that some of its debris will not burn up on re-entry and could impact the planet's surface. NASA Hails China Space Travel As 'Unifying Force,' But U.S. The US is tracking an uncontrolled Chinese rocket traveling at 18,000 mph that is expected to crash down around May 8.Photo Shows Chinese Rocket Falling Out of Orbit Before It Crashes to Earth.
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