China: Rocket Debris Unlikely to Cause Any Harm

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday most debris from a Chinese rocket will be burned up on reentry and is highly unlikely to cause any harm.

It is not clear where and when exactly the debris from the Long March 5B, China’s largest rocket, that sent part of a planned space station into orbit last week, will crash on the surface.

China's Global Times reported on Wednesday that it is likely to fall in international waters. The body of the rocket is currently circling Earth and about to enter the lower atmosphere. It is expected to largely burn up as the atmosphere gets denser at about 60km altitude from the surface.

The US stated on Thursday that it was watching the path of the object but currently had no plans to shoot it down.

Moreover, the Aerospace Corporation, a nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development, predicts re-entry will occur on Saturday at 11:43 PM Eastern time.

https://twitter.com/AerospaceCorp/status/1390416330269020160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1390416330269020160%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F05%2F06%2Fscience%2Fchina-rocket-crash-long-march-5b.html