China says its rocket debris unlikely to cause any harm

Record ID: 1958063

  • Title: China says its rocket debris unlikely to cause any harm
  • Date: 7th May 2021
  • Summary: WENCHANG, HAINAN PROVINCE, CHINA (RECENT - APRIL 29, 2021) (CCTV - NO USE CHINA) VARIOUS OF LONG MARCH 5B CARRIER ROCKET ON LAUNCH PAD FUEL IGNITING VARIOUS OF LONG MARCH 5B CARRIER ROCKET LIFTING OFF FROM LAUNCH PAD VARIOUS OF LONG MARCH 5B CARRIER ROCKET TAKING OFF IN AIR LONG MARCH 5B CARRIER ROCKET TAKING OFF, AS SEEN FROM A DISTANCE IN SPACE (RECENT - APRIL 29, 2021) (CCTV - NO USE CHINA) VARIOUS OF EXHAUST AND FLAMES COMING FROM BOTTOM OF LONG MARCH 5B CARRIER ROCKET COMPARTMENT OF ROCKET OPENING TIANHE MODULE FLOATING AWAY IN SPACE
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Chinese rocket Chinese space station Long March Rocket landing space station
  • Location: BEIJING, WENCHANG, HAINAN PROVINCE, CHINA/ IN SPACE
  • City: BEIJING, WENCHANG, HAINAN PROVINCE, CHINA/ IN SPACE
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Science,Space Exploration
  • Reuters ID: LVA002EBYNK93
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Most debris from a Chinese rocket will be burned up on reentry and is highly unlikely to cause any harm, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday (May 7).
    Debris from the Long March 5B that sent part of a planned space station into orbit last week is likely to fall in international waters, China's Global Times reported on Wednesday (May 5), amid concerns it could cause damage on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
    The rocket blasted off from China's Hainan island on April 29, carrying the Tianhe module, which contains what will become living quarters for three crew members on a permanent Chinese space station. The Tianhe launch was the first of 11 missions needed to complete the station.
    On Thursday (May 6) U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there was no plan at this point to shoot down the remnants of a large Chinese rocket expected to plunge back through the atmosphere this weekend. Speaking with reporters in Arlington, Virginia, Austin said the hope was the rocket would land in the ocean and that the latest estimate was that it would come down between Saturday (May 8) and Sunday (May 9).
    (Production: Martin Pollard)
  • Copyright Holder: CCTV (China)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp. This asset – including all text, audio and imagery – is provided by CCTV (China). Reuters does not guarantee the accuracy of, or endorse any views or opinions expressed in, this asset.
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