Alarm for the "uncontrolled fall" on earth of the 25-ton core of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket , which on 24 July brought the second module of the Tiangong space station into orbit, currently under construction.
According to the US Center for Studies on the Orbital Re-entry of the Aerospace Corporation (Cords) debris, the "out of control" rocket will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere around 9.30 am on July 31st , with a degree of uncertainty of 22 hours more or in less.
It is not yet possible to calculate where it will fall, and this is what arouses apprehension. According to its orbit - the experts explain - the reentry will take place in a point on the Earth between 41 degrees North latitude (at the height of Sardinia) and 41 degrees South.
The rocket's core will not burn completely in the atmosphere: "We expect 5 to 9 tons to reach the ground," Cords said.
The main stages of most orbital-class rockets are designed to descend shortly after take-off, with a guided drop into the sea or sparsely populated sections of land, or to make landings so they can be reused, such as the Falcon 9 of Space X.
Instead, the core of Long March 5B will fall back to Earth in an uncontrolled way, as had also happened in previous missions: after the first launch on 5 May 2020, the main stadium fell off the west coast of Africa, while in May 2021 in the 'Indian Ocean (and Sardinia was among the places at risk) .
"It is clear that China is not meeting accountability standards regarding their space debris," said Bill Nelson, NASA administrator . "It is essential that China and all nations traveling in space, as well as commercial entities, act responsibly and transparently - adds Nelson - to ensure the long-term security, stability and sustainability of activities in space".
(Unioneonline / lf)