posted 05-10-2020 09:52 AM               

At 17.8 tonnes, it is the most massive object to make an uncontrolled reentry since the 39-tonne Salyut-7 in 1991, unless you count OV-102 Columbia in 2003.

Redeeming feature, much less dense than TG-1/TG-2 [Tiangong-1/Tiangong-2].

As of Saturday [May 9], the rocket stage was circling Earth in an elliptical orbit ranging between 94 miles (152 kilometers) and 167 miles (270 kilometers) in altitude, according to U.S. military tracking data. A prediction issued Saturday by the U.S. military, which tracks objects in orbit, forecasts the rocket's re-entry in a 24-hour period between 2335 GMT (7:35 p.m. EDT) Sunday and 2335 GMT (7:35 p.m. EDT) Monday.

Above: File photo of a Long March 5 core stage. (Xinhua)

Above: Long March 5B core stage re-entry track. (Aerospace Corp)

posted 05-11-2020 12:15 PM               

18SPCS has confirmed the reentry of the CZ-5B R/B (#45601, 2020-027C) at 08:33 PDT on 11 May, over the Atlantic Ocean. The #CZ5B launched China's test crew capsule on 5 May 2020.

posted 05-12-2020 10:05 AM               

Reports of a 12-m-long object crashing into the village of Mahounou in Cote d'Ivoire. It's directly on the CZ-5B reentry track, 2100 km downrange from the Space-Track reentry location. Possible that part of the stage could have sliced through the atmosphere that far. (photo: Aminata24)

The reports from Cote d'Ivoire say the only casualty of the falling debris object was a machine: apparently the cheesemaker was blessed by being transfixed with this space piping.

posted 05-12-2020 12:34 PM               

Via @zolgafolDaniel in Cote d'Ivoire, some interesting photos of the Mahounou object(s).

I conclude that the objects seen in Mahounou, and at least some of the other objects from the Cote d'Ivore region whose photos are being circulated in African media, are very likely parts of the Chinese rocket stage.

Sources in Cote d'Ivoire, per @zolgafolDaniel, confirm the objects crashed in the 1530-1600 UTC timeframe, consistent with them being debris from CZ-5B-Y1. Impressive how far downrange debris can get at 28000 km/hr!

posted 05-12-2020 07:15 PM               

"I would not be surprised if several bits with masses of the order of 100 to 300kg hit the surface," he told Ars. "I would be a bit surprised if anything as big as 1 metric ton did."

The US Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron confirmed that the core stage re-entered Earth's atmosphere at 11:33am ET (15:33 UTC) on Monday at a location over the Atlantic Ocean. At this point, the core stage would have been at an altitude of 80km and rapidly descending toward Earth. McDowell said there were some reports emerging about possible debris found downrange in Cote d'Ivoire.

It is perhaps worth noting that before it entered Earth's atmosphere, the core stage track passed directly over New York City. Had it reentered the atmosphere only a little bit earlier, perhaps 15 to 20 minutes, the rocket's debris could have rained down on the largest metro area in the United States.

posted 05-13-2020 10:27 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by denali414:
I take it, this falls under the existing treaties?

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posted 05-06-2021 11:26 AM               

From The Aerospace Corporation (via Twitter):

Our latest prediction for CZ-5B rocket body reentry is: 09 May 2021 02:34 UTC ± 21 hours.

Reentry will be along one of the ground tracks shown here. It is still too early to determine a meaningful debris footprint. Follow this page for updates.

posted 05-08-2021 09:13 AM               

As indicated by the yellow icon, the predicted location at the time of reentry is off the east coast of the United States.

posted 05-08-2021 04:38 PM               

The predicted location at the time of reentry is now over the North Atlantic.

posted 05-08-2021 06:09 PM               

The predicted location at the time of reentry is now over the Pacific.

posted 05-08-2021 11:10 PM               

Chinese Long March 5B re-enters over Arabian Peninsula

U.S. Space Command can confirm the Chinese Long March 5B re-entered over the Arabian Peninsula at approximately 10:15 p.m. EDT on May 8.

It is unknown if the debris impacted land or water.

USSPACECOM does not conduct direct notifications to individual governments. The exact location of the impact and the span of debris, both of which are unknown at this time, will not be released by U.S. Space Command.

posted 07-27-2022 06:18 PM               

On April 29, 2021, China launched the first module, Tianhe, of its Tiangong space station on their heaviest rocket to date, the Long March 5B. The rocket body traveled with the module to orbit, resulting in an uncontrolled reentry of the rocket’s core stage. The rocket’s path crossed several populated areas and captured the world’s attention before eventually landing in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives on May 8.

This past Sunday, July 24, 2022, the second module of the space station, Wentian, launched on an identical Long March 5B rocket. At this point, it appears that the launch is similar to previous flights with an uncontrolled reentry of the rocket body expected.

As we wait to learn more, we are sharing some of the best questions we’ve received from debris watchers around the world, answered by our resident space debris expert, Marlon Sorge.

posted 07-30-2022 12:14 PM               

Reentry looks to have been observed from Kuching in Sarawak, Indonesia. Debris would land downrange in northern Borneo, possibly Brunei.

posted 07-30-2022 12:58 PM               

Now Space Force has confirmed decay at 1651 UTC approx 113E 3 N (Bintulu, Sarawak)

(When they give +- 1 min, they say 'projected' but they mean 'we saw it.')

posted 07-30-2022 01:49 PM               

NASA Administrator Statement on Chinese Space Debris

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released this statement Saturday regarding debris from the Chinese Long March 5B rocket:

"The People's Republic of China (PRC) did not share specific trajectory information as their Long March 5B rocket fell back to Earth.

"All spacefaring nations should follow established best practices, and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, especially for heavy-lift vehicles, like the Long March 5B, which carry a significant risk of loss of life and property. Doing so is critical to the responsible use of space and to ensure the safety of people here on Earth."

posted 08-01-2022 09:44 AM               

So, CZ-5B recap: significant debris falls in Kalimantan, Indonesia and Sawarak, Malaysia (both on Borneo). No casualties or property damage reported, but debris is near villages and a few hundred metres either way could have been a different story.

After CZ-5B rocket booster reentry over Indonesia at Saturday midnight (local time) ago, many debris possibly related to this space junk was found. Three debris have been found by local people at Sanggau regency (near Indonesia-Malaysia border).

posted 11-03-2022 01:51 PM               

New Long March 5B Uncontrolled Reentry Tracked by Aerospace's Experts

The third and final experiment module of China's Tiangong Space Station, Mengtian, was carried onboard a Long March 5B rocket on Oct. 31, 2022. In the following days, the rocket's estimated 22.5-metric-ton core booster – roughly the size of a 10-story building – is expected make an uncontrolled reentry back to Earth. The uncertainty of where the large debris will ultimately land presents a level of risk to human safety and property damage that is well above commonly accepted thresholds.

Above: As of 12 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Nov. 3, the latest prediction for the CZ-5B rocket body reentry is: 04 Nov 2022 12:24 UTC ± 4 hours. Reentry will be along one of the ground tracks shown here. It is still too early to determine a meaningful debris footprint. (Aerospace Corp.)

The Aerospace Corporation's experts at the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS) are actively tracking the CZ-5B rocket body and intend to share their reentry predictions as sufficient data becomes available.

Similar uncontrolled reentries of Long March rockets occurred in 2020, 2021 and most recently in July 2022 – of which, two resulted in large debris landing near populated areas. Over 88 percent of the world's population lives under the reentry's potential debris footprint. Factors such as the rocket core's uncontrolled manner of descent and its size, which is too large to entirely burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, collectively present risks high enough that require additional precautionary preparation around the world.

Aerospace's space debris experts will be following the reentry, providing ongoing updates as fresh data becomes available, and supply additional analysis as developments unfold.

Tracking the Reentry

As they do with all reentries, Aerospace's CORDS experts will be actively updating their predictions of the rocket body's reentry path as new data becomes available.

posted 11-03-2022 10:27 PM               

Our latest prediction for the CZ-5B rocket body reentry is: 04 Nov 2022 11:20 UTC ± 3 hours. Reentry will be along one of the ground tracks shown here. It is still too early to determine a meaningful debris footprint.

This will be our final prediction for the evening. Unsure if the tracking team will have the time and new data needed in order to run an update in the a.m. before reentry occurs. We'll check back tomorrow. Goodnight.

posted 11-04-2022 09:07 AM               

U.S. Space Command can confirm the People's Republic of China Long March 5B CZ-5B rocket re-entered the atmosphere over the south-central Pacific Ocean at 4:01 a.m. MDT/10:01 UTC on Nov. 4.

U.S. Space Command can confirm a second atmospheric reentry correlated with the PRC's Long March 5B CZ-5B as it exited the U.S. Space Command Area of Responsibility over the Northeast Pacific Ocean region at 4:06 a.m. MDT/10:06 UTC on Nov. 4.

posted 11-04-2022 09:17 AM               

Once again, the People's Republic of China is taking unnecessary risks with the uncontrolled rocket stage reentry of their Long March 5B rocket stage. They did not share specific trajectory information which is needed to predict landing zones and reduce risk. This is the PRC's fourth uncontrolled reentry since May 2020, and each of these reentries have been the largest in last 30 years. It is critical that all spacefaring nations are responsible and transparent in their space activities and follow established best practices, especially, for the uncontrolled reentry of a large rocket body debris – debris that could very well result in major damage or loss of life.