There are confirmed reports that debris from a Chinese rocket is set to fall back onto Earth this weekend. It will enter the Earth's atmosphere in an uncontrollable manner and can fall anywhere on the Earth, according to the USA.
The main segment from a launch vehicle named Long March-5b, which China used for launching their first module of the New space station, is set to fall back to Earth. This segment of the rocket weighs 18 tonnes and is one of the largest items in the decades, which will enter the atmosphere in an undirected dive.
The USA on Thursday informed that it was monitoring the path of the object, but currently, there are no plans for shooting it down. US secretary of defense Lloyd Austin, in a statement, said, "We are hoping that the object will land in a palace where it doesn't cause any type of harm to anyone." He further added that hopefully, it would land in the ocean or some other places like it".
According to various experts of space debris modeling, the object is expected to enter the atmosphere late Saturday or early Sunday according to GMT times. However, such projections by experts are highly uncertain.
Other countries which might be the place for landing the object are also monitoring its path. They have expressed their worries about the object as it may cause destruction on a large scale.
Where could the segment of rocket land?
This rocket was originally injected by China into the Elliptical orbit of approximately 160 kilometers by 375 kilometers from the surface of Earth. It was done by china on the 29th of April. Since its injection into orbit, the rocket is continuously losing height and is now set to fall back to the Earth.
The good news is that the segments will decay when it enters the atmosphere of the Earth. But the decaying rate of the core depends on the amount of air density it encounters on the various atmospheric altitudes. This is because the more amount of air, the more drag it produces, which will eventually lead to the rocket's decay. The details of this are poorly known as the amount and pressure of the air changes with every few seconds in the atmosphere.
What can be the impact of the rocket falls on a city or inhabited region?
The impact of the rocket falling back onto the Earth in an inhabited area can be devastating. This is because the weight of the rocket is 18 tonnes, and it will hit the Earth with the speed of a meteor.
It can lead to wide-scale destruction if it falls into a densely populated area, as the speed alone will contribute to its destructive power.
What are the options if to avoid any destruction from the rocket?
The option which the countries have depends on the fact that where will the rocket fall. In case it falls into the ocean or any inhabited region, then there will be a minimum need for any action.
If the rocket heads for a populated area, then the countries have the option to shoot it down using interceptor missiles.
Published by: Book Club
Source: NewsService
Release ID: 18616