It's not the first time China has failed to meet international standards for space rockets: first, Beijing was criticized for failing to break up its rockets into small pieces when they enter the atmosphere. Now again, because a Chinese rocket crashes uncontrollably from space.
A Chinese rocket has crashed uncontrolled from space, according to US data. The US Army Space Department said on Twitter that the Long March 5B rocket entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. The US Space Command did not provide any further details. The Chinese government must provide information about possible debris and the location of the impact.
However, NASA chief Bill Nelson accused Beijing of not releasing information on the rocket's trajectory being irresponsible and risky. "All space nations should adhere to best practices and do their part in sharing this type of information in advance," he said on Twitter. In the case of missiles such as the "Long March 5B" in particular, there is a "considerable risk of loss of life and property" due to debris.
China had previously received criticism from NASA for the fact that the rocket did not break up into smaller parts when it entered the atmosphere, as is the international standard. The country launched the second module for its "Tiangong" (Heaven's Palace) space station, which is currently under construction, with a laboratory on board last Sunday. The Long March 5B rocket placed the module in orbit within minutes. China's space agency spoke of a "complete success" after the launch. The new module is to dock with the core module "Tianhe", which was launched in April 2021.
According to this, in May 2021, the remains of a rocket used for this purpose fell into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives archipelago. According to China's space program, "most of it" was burned up and destroyed when it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.
