China says it is tracking its out-of-control rocket amid fears it could drop anywhere on Earth
Long March 5B rocket is built to break up as it falls to Earth, foreign ministry says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.China is tracking an out-of-control rocket that is set to fall to Earth in the coming days, it has said.
The country committed to provide information on the rocket’s movements in a timely manner, its foreign ministry said.
There are fears that the rocket could drop unpredictably down to Earth, and could pose a danger to any populated areas that it drops onto.
The Long March 5B rocket was launched over the weekend. Since then, it has begun falling back down to Earth – with even China seemingly unable to predict where exactly it will fall.
It is an international practice to allow stages of rockets to burn up on re-entering of earth’s atmosphere, said ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a regular media briefing, when asked if China knows when and where the rocket debris could land.
It is understood that this type of rocket adopts a special technical design and most components will be ablated and destroyed during reentry, with a very low probability of causing harm to aviation and the ground, Zhao said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments