Spain temporarily shut the airspace on Friday, Nov. 4, amid concerns about potential dangers presented by the debris from the recent operation of a Chinese Long March 5B spacecraft. Engadget reported that hundreds of flights had to be rescheduled because of this.
Friday Incident
According to the report by The New York Times, the United States Space Command verified on Friday that components of a rocket had re-entered the atmosphere over the south-central Pacific Ocean. These parts had reportedly been used to launch the third and final component of China's Tiangong space station.
Eventually, the debris fell into the body of water, and luckily, nobody was hurt in the process.
Uncontrolled Re-entry
Uncontrolled pieces of a Chinese Long March 5B spacecraft have already crashed on the surface of the Earth twice this year.
After its debut in 2020, China's most powerful heavy-lift rocket had its fourth uncontrolled re-entry during this incident. The Long March 5B cannot re-light its engine for a controlled return to Earth like its current competitors, such as the SpaceX Falcon 9.
The rocket has not yet caused anybody any damage, and it is very unlikely that it ever will.
Nevertheless, every time China has launched a Long March 5B into orbit, astronomers and observers have nervously monitored its course down to the Earth, worried that it would fall in an area where people live.
Avoiding Major Damage
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson reprimanded the government for not taking the required safeguards to avoid an out-of-control re-entry. He did this earlier this year after China's Wentian mission, and this time, the criticism was directed against China's Tiangong-1 spacecraft.
He stated that it is crucial that all spacefaring nations are willing to be responsible and truthful in their space activities. They must follow established best practices, particularly for the uncontrolled re-entry of body debris from a large rocket.
Debris that could very well result in major damage or loss of life should be avoided at all costs, according to Nelson.
Next year, when China tries to send its Xuntian space observatory into orbit, it will use another Long March 5B rocket as its means of transport.
Space Debris Crashing Down
Engadget reported that the issue of space debris crashing down to Earth did not only happen to China.
For instance, in July, a farmer in the countryside of Australia discovered a piece of a SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship that had landed on his field.
However, some industry professionals are certain that the Friday event is not comparable to the other occurrences that have recently taken place.
Ted Muelhaupt, a consultant with Aerospace's Corporate Chief Engineer's Office, was quoted in The Times as saying, "The thing I want to point out about this is that we, the world, don't deliberately launch things this big intending them to fall wherever." He said it was the first time we had done that in half a century.
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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada
