LOOK OUT BELOW! CHINA’S HEAVY-LIFT ROCKET DUE FOR UNCONTROLLED REENTRY WITHIN DAYS

hackaday.com ^ | 04/30/2021 | Tom Nardi

[BenLurkin]

On April 28th, China successfully put the core module of their Tianhe space station into orbit with the latest version of the Long March 5B heavy-lift booster. This rocket, designed for launching large objects into low Earth orbit, is unique in that the 33.16 m (108.8 ft) first stage carries the payload all the way to orbit rather than separating at a lower altitude. Unfortunately, despite an international effort to limit unnecessary space debris, the first stage of the Long March 5B booster is now tumbling through space and is expected to make an uncontrolled reentry sometime in the next few days.

The massive booster has been given the COSPAR ID 2021-035-B, and ground tracking stations are currently watching it closely to try and determine when and where it will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere. As of this writing it’s in a relatively low orbit of 169 x 363 km, which should decay rapidly given the object’s large surface area. Due to the variables involved it’s impossible to pinpoint where the booster will reenter this far out, but the concern is that should it happen over a populated area, debris from the 21 metric ton (46,000 pound) booster could hit the ground.

[Truth29]

"Looks like the orbit during the time of interest is over S America, Africa and S Asia."

So accepting that, it doesn't look it could come down on the fortified Capitol of occupied USA.

[BenLurkin]

You called it!

Sending in my extra $20 for missing Gulf of Mexico.

[dynachrome]

Ha. I’d forgotten about this. (I put in extra the first of the month, anyway.)