China closely tracking remnants of its most powerful rocket
A Long March-5B Y3 rocket, carrying the Wentian lab module for China's space station under construction, takes off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province, China July 24, 2022. - China Daily/via REUTERS
BEIJING: China is closely tracking the remnants of a Long March 5B rocket launched over the weekend and will release information on the situation in a timely manner, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, amid concerns posed to populated areas on earth.
It is an international practice to allow stages of rockets to burn up on re-entering of earth's atmosphere, said ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a regular media briefing, when asked if China knows when and where the rocket debris could land.
It is understood that this type of rocket adopts a special technical design and most components will be ablated and destroyed during reentry, with a very low probability of causing harm to aviation and the ground, Zhao said.
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