![]() Only three human-made objects heavier than those two Long March 5B cores have ever fallen uncontrolled from space, according to astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, who's based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The 8-ton craft fell to Earth uncontrolled in April 2018, burning up over the Pacific Ocean. ![]() In addition, China's first prototype space lab, Tiangong 1, which was designed to help pave the way for the new space station, had its own space-junk phase after completing its mission. Some large pieces of debris from that reentry apparently made it to the ground in the nation of Ivory Coast, though no injuries were reported. ![]() The same thing happened last year with a different Long March 5B core, which fell uncontrolled over the Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast. Instead of ditching safely into the ocean when its work was done, however, the rocket's first stage reached orbit, becoming a piece of space junk just waiting to crash down on its home planet after feeling enough atmospheric drag.Īnd this was not an isolated incident. The Long March 5B launched the core module for China's new space station on April 28. For example, stated on Twitter Saturday night that the Long March "fell into the Indian Ocean north of the Maldives," an idyllic island chain off India's southwest coast. But some analysts have identified a watery grave for any rocket hunks that managed to survive the intense heat of re-entry.
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