The Central Unit of the Chinese Space Station (CSS) successfully launched on Thursday April 29 aboard the Long March 5 B rocket. The launch booster is about to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, but we do not yet know exactly where and when this debris will strike our planet.
The first stage of the Chinese Long March 5B bomber “unexpectedly” falls to the ground after it Successful launch This Thursday, April 29th from Wenchang Base, reports Space News. His return to Earth could happen any day. The odds are that this debris will burn up in the atmosphere and that the “survivors” will again fall into an ocean, which covers just over 70% of the planet. However, it is not excluded that the reinforcer threatens a populated area.
Uncontrolled return
Most missile boosters do not reach orbital velocity and return to the atmosphere, ending up in a pre-defined area. Some of them, even larger, are slightly higher, but they perform de-orbiting maneuvers in order to reduce time in orbit to avoid the risk of colliding with other spacecraft and entering the atmosphere immediately.
Regarding the launch that interests us, everything indicates that the Long March 5B will perform an active maneuver to exit orbit. Obviously, that was not the case. Hence the uncontrolled repercussions.
It is now extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict the trajectory of this falling rocket stage, as there is much uncertainty in calculating the effect of atmospheric clouds on the central unit (Earth’s atmosphere could expand or contract with solar activity). Body size and density are also a factor.
Timing is essential
According to the ground radars used by the US military, the main stage of the launcher, which is about thirty meters long and five meters wide, is currently flying at an altitude of between 170 and 372 km and traveling through space. Seven kilometers per second. Due to its speed, the booster nearly orbits the Earth Every 90 minutes.
The more time passes, the more the object slows down, before it “pulls” the gravity of our planet. Its orbital inclination is 41.5 degrees, which means that it sometimes passes a little further north of New York, Madrid, and Beijing, and sometimes across southern Chile or through Wellington, New Zealand.
As space news indicates, Therefore, the launcher can re-enter this area at any time.. Timing will be necessary. At these speeds, a few minutes’ shift in reentry into the atmosphere could shift that return point by several thousand kilometers.
Judgment of space flight observer Jonathan McDowell “Unacceptable”According to current standards, to allow such a massive object to enter uncontrollably into the atmosphere. “Since 1990, no more than ten tons have been deliberately left in orbit to enter in an uncontrollable manner.”, He explains. “ However, it is believed that the Longue Marche 5B central stage, without the four side boosters, has a dry mass (pusher vacuum) of about 21 tons of mass. “.
For a specialist, a large portion of this booster likely ends up burning in the atmosphere a few minutes after re-entering it. On the other hand, components made of heat-resistant materials, such as tanks and impellers made of stainless steel or titanium, can hit the ground.
