Chinese space rocket to make an "uncontrolled re-entry" to Earth, no one knows where it will land

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated: Nov 04, 2022, 07:46 PM IST

It's unclear where the large chunk will land. According to reports, the debris might hit Central America, Africa, and parts of North America.

A massive part of a Chinese rocket is anticipated to crash back to Earth on Friday or Saturday, with no idea where it will land. The rocket body is the primary booster of China's Long March 5B rocket, which was launched from the Tiangong space station. According to the Aerospace Corporation, an American non-profit, the booster weighs 22. 5 metric tonnes and is roughly the size of a 10-story building.

According to the firm, the rocket body will perform an "uncontrolled reentry" back to Earth.

"The uncertainty of where the large debris will ultimately land presents a level of risk to human safety and property damage that is well above commonly accepted thresholds," the report concluded.

The organisation is closely monitoring the rocket body and will give forecasts regarding its landing as more data becomes available. The rocket booster is expected to re-enter the atmosphere at 1120 GMT (IST 4.30 pm) on Friday, plus or minus three hours.

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According to Space.com, the debris could hit practically all of Central America, a large portion of Africa, and certain regions of North America. According to CNET, the rocket body cannot guide itself to a safe splashdown in isolated regions.

The majority of the rocket body is projected to burn in the atmosphere, but stronger bits may survive and reach the Earth's surface, posing a threat to infrastructure, according to the website.

 According to the Aerospace Corporation, 20-40 per cent of the mass of a huge item reaches the ground, while the actual figure depends on its design. "In this case, we would expect about 5 to 9 metric tons," they stated.