China’s space agency says a big chunk of debris from one of its rockets mostly burned up in the atmosphere before falling into the Indian Ocean. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson criticized China for not meeting 'responsible standards' for space debris.
FILE - In this April 29, 2021, file photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a Long March 5B rocket carrying a module for a Chinese space station lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang in southern China's Hainan Province. The central rocket segment that launched the 22.5-ton core of China's newest space station into orbit is due to plunge back to Earth as early as Saturday in an unknown location.
Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who tracked the tumbling rocket part, said on Twitter, “An ocean reentry was always statistically the most likely. It appears China won its gamble… But it was still reckless.” China’s official Xinhua News Agency later clarified that reentry occurred Sunday at 10:24 a.m. Beijing time. “The vast majority of items were burned beyond recognition during the reentry process,” the report said.
The Long March 5B rocket carried the main module of China’s first permanent space station — Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony — into orbit on April 29. China plans 10 more launches to carry additional parts of the space station into orbit.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
China administered total of 317.59 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of May 8China carried out about 9.36 million vaccinations against COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total number administered to 317.59 million, according to data released by the National Health Commission.
Read more »
How Chinese nationalists use ‘anti-China’ jabs to silence feministsChinese social media platform Weibo has been accused of shutting down the accounts of outspoken feminists and women's rights groups in recent weeks.
Read more »
Tesla’s April Sales From China Were Mostly ExportsThe electric-vehicle maker exported most of the cars produced at its Shanghai factory in April, raising questions about the strength of demand for its vehicles in China.
Read more »
China pushes back against critics of its policies in XinjiangChina has spent hundreds of millions of dollars annually over the past decade to expand a 'Great Foreign Propaganda Campaign'
Read more »
U.S. wants COVID vaccine patent waiver to benefit world, not boost China biotechThe Biden administration is examining ways to ensure that a waiver of COVID-19 vaccine patents to aid poor countries will not hand sensitive U.S. biopharmaceutical technology to China and Russia, responding to a chorus of concerns, U.S. and industry officials say.
Read more »
China adds few babies, loses workers as its 1.4B people ageThe number of working-age people in China fell over the past decade while the population barely grew, adding to strains on an aging society.
Read more »