The 21-ton Long March 5B booster launched on July 24 to deliver a new module to China’s Tiangong space station. But unlike a reusable rocket booster that can make a powered descent like the SpaceX Falcon 9, the Long March rocket was allowed to tumble out of control until its orbit naturally degraded and it fell back to Earth. This fall took place around 12:45 p.m. EDT on Saturday, over the Indian Ocean near Malaysia, according to the US Space Administration. On Saturday, several Twitter accounts began sharing videos of what could be the missile that broke up over Malaysia, but it has not been confirmed whether the video actually shows the remains of the missile. What is known is that the largest rocket boosters are massive enough that they usually do not burn up entirely on re-entry, as 40% of their mass reaches the ground, particularly heat-resistant components such as tanks and engine components. This debris can threaten life and property on the ground. Shortly after 2 a.m. EDT Saturday, Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson released a statement, via email and on Twitter, warning China that it was not providing better information about its rocket’s projected re-entry trajectory. “All space transport nations should follow established best practices and do their part to share this kind of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, especially for heavy lift vehicles like the Long March 5B, which pose a significant risk of loss of life and property,” Nelson said in the statement. “This is critical to the responsible use of space and to ensuring the safety of people here on Earth.” The re-entry of the Sabbath marks the third time China has let a rocket re-enter Earth’s atmosphere unchecked. In May 2021, another rocket carrying part of the Chinese space station was allowed to circle the Earth once every 90 minutes before disintegrating over the Indian Ocean about a week later. In 2020, another Long March missile crashed into the Atlantic Ocean just 13 minutes afterhitting New York.
