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China’s Long March-5B carrier rocket’s last stage enters atmosphere

Most of the debris burnt during the re-entry process
Chinese Long March-5B carrier rocket Guo Wenbin/Xinhua via AP
Chinese Long March-5B carrier rocket
© Guo Wenbin/Xinhua via AP

BEIJING, May 9. /TASS/. The wreckage of the last stage of China’s Long March-5B carrier rocket (CZ-5B), which put to the orbit the module of the Chinese station, on Sunday entered the Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean and the bulk of debris burnt, the China Manned Space Engineering Office stated.

"At 10:24 on May 9 (05:24 Moscow Time) the wreckage of the last stage of the Long March 5 B 2 carrier rocket re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere. The falling area is located in the surrounding waters of 72.47°E and 2.65°N. Most of the debris burnt during the re-entry process," the statement said.

On April 29, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) using the Long March-5B carrier rocket put to the orbit the main module of the country’s space station. The launch was successful.

Earlier, Pentagon Spokesman Mike Howard said in an interview with CNN that the US was watching the movement of the rocket’s debris. He noted that the risks of CZ-5B fall on the facilities on the Earth could not be fully ruled out.

On May 6, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced that the Chinese rocket would land in a safe place and the US did not plan to shoot it down. Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos said Russia was monitoring CZ-5B’s second stage.

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