A big failed Russian rocket just came crashing back to Earth out of control

Cnet ^ | Jan. 6, 2022 9:42 a.m. PT | Erin Mack

[BenLurkin]

The Persei booster was launched for a test mission on Dec. 27 by the heavy-lift Angara-A5 rocket. However, the upper-stage booster failed to enter Earth's orbit as planned. Instead, it began inevitably being pulled back toward the atmosphere by Earth's gravity for an expected return to the surface in bits and pieces (if at all) on Wednesday afternoon, Pacific time.

The rocket is thought to have weighed around 20 tons, but over 75% of that mass would have been in fuel that almost certainly would have burned up in the atmosphere.

The 18th Space Control Squadron of the US Space Force confirmed the rocket reentered over the Pacific Ocean just after 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday.

[KingLudd]

Reentered? As in a second time? I think it entered the atmosphere only once, while it was burning up. Maybe a Nasa freeper can clear that up for me. /s

[TokarevM57]

....”The 18th Space Control Squadron of the US Space Force...” is Buck Rogers alive and well ...??

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Russia has always had a different rule of thought on these kind of failures.

We will study, test, study, and test. Ivan will just launch it and see what happens, and learn from failures.

[dfwgator]

“Screw those Commie bastards, and screw their little wussy Space Station!”

[airborne]

It is Wednesday afternoon at 2:54 pm and I have not been struck (yet) by any falling debris.

[Celtic Conservative]

I have said repeatedly that the phrase “safety margin” does not translate into Russian .

CC

[ckilmer]

musk’s big raptor engine just fired successfully.

The big new raptor engine is more powerful than the russian’s largest engines.

The real deal comes when they make it fully reusable.

When that happens, a revolution is rocketry will have occurred?

Why? Because reusablity will collapse the cost of putting stuff into space.