Chinese Rocket Remnants Scatter Between Philippines, Borneo

Remnants of a massive Chinese rocket that was descending uncontrollably back to Earth reentered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean at roughly 12:45 p.m. ET Saturday (Sunday, July 31, 2022, in Manila), the US Space Command said on Twitter, Sharif Paget and Christina Maxouris reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: The agency added most of the remnants burned up during the reentry process over the Sulu Sea, which is between Borneo and the Philippines, contrary to Beijing’s earlier claim the debris would be scattered in the Indian Ocean.

The Chinese 23-ton Long March 5B rocket, which delivered a module to its space station, took off from Hainan Island at 2:22 p.m. local time Sunday, July 24, and docked with China's orbital outpost.

The rocket had since been in an uncontrolled descent toward Earth's atmosphere —the third time that China has been accused of not properly handling space debris from its rocket stage. It appears that China does not feel responsible for the possible damage that its rockets may inflict on humanity.

The China Manned Space Agency said remnants of the rocket reentered the atmosphere at about 12:55 a.m. Sunday Beijing time (12:55 p.m. ET Saturday).

The agency added most of the remnants burned up during the reentry process over the Sulu Sea, which is between Borneo and the Philippines, contrary to Beijing’s earlier claim the debris would be scattered in the Indian Ocean.

"No other country leaves these 20-ton things in orbit to reenter in an uncontrolled way," a miffed Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told CNN on Saturday.

On the same day, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wrote on Twitter that China "did not share specific trajectory information" as the rocket fell back to Earth.

"All spacefaring nations should follow established best practices, and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, especially for heavy-lift vehicles, like the Long March 5B, which carry a significant risk of loss of life and property," Nelson said.

"Doing so is critical to the responsible use of space and to ensure the safety of people here on Earth," he added.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic