CHINESE ROCKET. On the night of Saturday July 30 to Sunday July 31, 2022, debris from a Chinese rocket will fall to Earth. If we do not know where they will land, France will not be concerned. We take stock.
Will the sky fall on our heads? It seems that tomorrow is not the day before. However, concern has been mounting in recent hours as debris from a Chinese rocket is expected to fall back to Earth between Saturday July 30 and Sunday July 31, 2022. Sent on July 24, this Long March-5B rocket (LM-5B ) carries the second element of the Chinese space station. The only problem, with each launch of this very special rocket, the question that arises is: where will the first stage of the machine fall?
If we want to be self-centered, and to reassure ourselves, France should not be affected by the debris. Indeed, if the calculations to know the place and the exact time (a fifteen-hour delta is envisaged) of arrival on the earth’s surface of the remains of the rocket are particularly difficult because of the dimensions of the machine (33 meters in length and 20 tons), scientists have determined the area that should be impacted. Thus, the debris that will not be consumed in the atmosphere should fall between the 41e parallel north, i.e. the latitude of Madrid or Naples in Europe, and the 41e southern parallel which passes south of Africa.
If France will be spared, the area delimited by scientists still concerns 88% of the world’s population. There is therefore concern. A question then arises: why use such a rocket? Indeed, unlike other satellite launchers, the Chinese machine has a single stage. When the two-stage rockets detach early enough to fall back into the ocean, the Long March-5B (LM-5B) rises up to 250 kilometers in height and ends up in orbit too.
This is the third time the Chinese rocket has been launched. The first fallout of the machine had caused a stir since it had caused some damage to homes in Côte d’Ivoire in May 2020. However, no injuries or deaths were to be deplored. The second test was even more conclusive since the machine ended up in the waters of the Indian Ocean. However, for the director of NASA, this is nonsense: “Space nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth from the reentry of space objects and maximize transparency regarding these operations. It is clear that China fails to meet liability standards for its space debris.”