China Warns Rocket Remnants To Hit South China Sea

The Chinese government has warned that remnants of a rocket would hit an area in the South China Sea, following the sixth deployment of its most powerful launch vehicle eleven days ago.

Rocket debris, which generally burns up in the atmosphere on re-entry, is expected to fall off the coast of China’s island province of Hainan between 0300 GMT and noon 0400 GMT, said the China Maritime Safety Administration.

China launched a Long March 5 rocket on December 15 from Hainan’s Wenchang launch site, the sixth launch of the rocket type since its first flight in 2016.

Report says a variant of the rocket, the Long March 5B, was previously used to launch China’s probe to Mars and also modules of its space station.

The 2021 launch of the Long March 5B caused particular anxiety due to speculation over where remnants would land. In 2020, debris from a Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings.

Meanwhile, the Long March 5 mission earlier this month successfully launched what was described as “a high-orbit optical remote sensing satellite.” The powerful rocket is normally used to launch very large payloads.

Report says the ‘satellite’ will be used in land surveys, crop yield assessments, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, and disaster prevention and relief.

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere