Published: Less than 40 min ago
Parts of the 23-ton Chinese launch vehicle that crashed uncontrollably toward Earth fell over the Indian Ocean between Borneo and the Philippines. This is reported by the New York Times, citing China’s space agency.
The US space agency also confirms that the rocket stage re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean at 18:45 Swedish time.
Most of the rocket debris burned up on its way through the atmosphere, according to the Chinese space agency.
There was a small chance that debris from the rocket could have crashed in a populated area, and worried space enthusiasts around the world have been tracking its orbit this week.
The rocket, which was of the “Long March 5B” type, was launched on Sunday with a module to the Chinese space station Tiangong.
Bill Nelson, head of the US space agency, criticizes China for not sharing specific trajectory information for when and where the launch vehicle would come back down to Earth.