Long March rocket debris will burn up on re-entry, ‘unlikely to cause harm’, China says
- US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin says the Pentagon has the ‘capability to do a lot of things, but we don’t have a plan to shoot it down, as we speak’
- Aerospace Corporation predicts re-entry will occur around noon on Sunday Beijing time
The assessment from ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin came after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon had no plan to shoot down the rocket that is expected to plunge back to Earth this weekend.
Wang said most of the debris from the rocket would burn up on re-entry and was highly unlikely to cause any harm.
“The Chinese side is highly concerned about re-entry of the rocket,” Wang said. “As far as I know, this type of rocket has a special technical design. Most of the components will be burned and destroyed during the re-entry process, and the probability of causing harm to aviation activities and the ground is extremely low.”
Austin said the remnants of the rocket were expected to return to Earth at some time between Saturday and Sunday.
“We don’t have a plan to shoot the rocket down. We’re hopeful that it will land in a place where it won’t harm anyone, hopefully, in the ocean or some place like that,” he said.
Asked if the US had the ability to shoot it down, Austin said: “We have the capability to do a lot of things, but we don’t have a plan to shoot it down, as we speak.
“For those of us who operate in the space domain, that there is a requirement – there should be a requirement – to operate in a safe and thoughtful mode, and make sure that we take those kinds of things into consideration as we plan and conduct operations.”
US keeps close watch on Chinese Long March rocket debris
On Tuesday, a person with knowledge of China’s space programme said debris from the rocket was under close watch and was expected to fall in international waters.
Wang Yanan, chief editor of the Aerospace Knowledge magazine, was quoted by the Global Times as saying that only a very small portion might fall to the ground and would potentially land in the ocean or in areas away from human activities.
According to Congressman Jim Cooper, chair of a House subcommittee that oversees US space programmes, China should be responsible for warning and protecting people in the path of its falling rocket.
“The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly shown a blatant disregard for space safety, this time by not even predicting where the Long March 5 rocket body could land, much less helping those below,” Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat, said in an emailed statement.
China’s space programme plans first mission to the sun
Cooper helped lead a joint hearing on Wednesday between two US House subcommittees about what kinds of international agreements could help regulate behaviour in space.
Lawmakers discussed how the US could prevent further militarisation and the accumulation of debris as more countries and companies engaged in space exploration. China’s Long March 5B rocket has become a case study in space policy as it tumbles toward Earth.
The Aerospace Corporation, a non-profit organisation largely financed by the US federal government that performs research and analysis, predicts the Long March re-entry will occur on Saturday at 11.43pm Eastern time, or 11.45am Sunday Beijing time.
Additional reporting by Jun Mai and Bloomberg
