US White House: "Tracking Location of Chinese Rocket... Must Act Responsibly in Space"

Unknown Which Country's Airspace It Will Fall Into After the 8th
21t Large-Scale Rocket, Concerns Over Major Damage if It Falls in Urban Areas

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] At the end of last month, China launched a large rocket aimed at constructing a space station, but it has gone out of control, making it impossible to predict over which country's airspace it will fall. In response, the U.S. government announced that it is directly tracking the rocket's movements. The U.S. criticized China for not adopting a responsible space policy and stated that it will cooperate with its allies to minimize damage caused by debris from the rocket.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 5th (local time), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing, "The U.S. Space Command is aware of and tracking the location of the Chinese rocket," emphasizing, "It is in the shared interest of all countries to act responsibly in space to ensure the safety, security, and long-term sustainability of space activities." This statement is interpreted as criticism of the Chinese government for failing to properly notify the international community about its out-of-control rocket.

Earlier, on the previous day, the U.S. Space Command announced that the Long March 5B rocket, which China launched on the 29th of last month carrying modules for its independent space station construction, had gone out of control. The rocket has deviated from its original orbit and its altitude is continuously decreasing. It is unknown over which country in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere the rocket will fall between the 8th and 12th. Russia and the European Space Agency are also reportedly tracking the rocket's position in real time.

According to space specialist media Space.com, the rocket is a large-scale vehicle weighing approximately 21 tons, and if it falls on a major city, it could cause massive casualties. Generally, when space debris re-enters the atmosphere, some parts burn up due to frictional heat, but it is known that over 40% of the debris poses a risk of colliding with the ground.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.