Weather of Arabia - Scientists are watching the movement of the debris of a Chinese missile, which is expected to fall to the ground at the end of this month, as it is out of control, with the inability to predict where it will land.
The object in question is the 25-ton (22.5 metric tons) core stage of the Long March 5B rocket that was launched on Sunday (July 24) to deliver the second unit to China's still-under-construction Tiangong space station. The Tianhe core unit that was already in orbit.
According to researchers at the Center for Orbital Reentry and Debris Reentry Studies (CORDS), they analyzed tracking data collected by the US Space Force's Space Monitoring Network and predicted that the rocket body would re-enter Earth's atmosphere around 3:30 a.m. EDT (07: 30 GMT) on July 31, 22 hours more or less than this date, and the return will be along one of the ground tracks shown in the image, it is still too early to determine the impact of the debris on the ground.
Our latest prediction for #CZ5B rocket body reentry is:
31 Jul 2022 07:34 UTC ± 22 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: https://t.co/SxrMtcJnj0 pic.twitter.com/MwWiF85iPI— The Aerospace Corporation (@AerospaceCorp) July 26, 2022
Watch also: live | Follow the trajectory of the Chinese missile expected to fall to Earth soon
Scientists stressed that it is too early to predict where the Chinese missile will land, but that depending on its orbit, the missile's debris may enter somewhere between 41 degrees north latitude and 41 degrees south latitude. Not all of the object will burn in Earth's air, but 20-40% of its mass will reach Earth, but the exact number depends on the design of the object.
It is reported that last year, a piece of debris from a Chinese Long March 5B missile was left to fall to the ground after it was out of control, and the accident caused no casualties, but the possibility of injuries and damage to infrastructure on the ground prompted exploration experts to reprimand China To allow the existence of such space junk.
Read more about last year's Chinese missile story:
What is the story of the Chinese missile and how it became out of control?
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