By: Guardian
May 4, 2021
Long March 5B is doing 27,600km/h in failing orbit, with eventual crash site unknown, after launching space station hub
The Long March5B Chinese rocket launched a module of the country’s space station on 29 April. The rocket’s core is falling out of Earth’s orbit and is expected to make an uncontrolled re-entry this week.
Part of a huge rocket that launched China’s first module for its Tianhe space station is falling back to Earth and could make an uncontrolled re-entry at an unknown landing point.
The 30-metre high core of the Long March 5B rocket launched the “Heavenly Harmony” unmanned core module into low Earth orbit on 29 April from Wenchang in China’s Hainan province.
The Long March 5B then itself entered a temporary orbit, setting the stage for one of the largest ever uncontrolled re-entries. Some experts fear it could land on an inhabited area.