Another Uncontrolled Reentry for a Chinese Rocket Coming Soon
upstart writes:
Uncontrolled reentry is standard operating procedure for this rocket:
This week, the Chinese space program successfully launched the final piece of their own version of the Tiangong space station. The 23-ton module called Mengtian will provide pressurized volume for scientific experiments and is the final large living area to be added to the Tiangong Space Station.
[...] To launch the main modules of Tiangong, China had to use a modified version of its powerful Long March 5B rocket. And as part of the overall mission profile, the vehicle's massive core stage reenters Earth's atmosphere in an uncontrollable manner.
During a normal launch, a rocket's large first stage will provide the majority of thrust during the first minutes of launch and then drop away before reaching an orbital velocity, falling back into an ocean harmlessly.
A smaller second stage then takes over and pushes the rocket's payload into orbit. However, the modified version of the Long March 5B has no upper stage. Rather, it consists of a core stage with four strap-on boosters.
[...] On the three previous launches by the Chinese space agency where they have used a similar rocket, back in 2020, 2021, and 2022, large chunks of debris damaged villages in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, fell into the Indian Ocean, and landed near villages in Borneo, respectively. Fortunately, no one has yet been injured by this falling debris.
The Aerospace Corporation's Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies is tracking and predicting where it will come back down. For the curious, they are hosting an online Q&A at 18:00 UTC on 03-November. The current estimate is for a 05-November reentry.
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