China's Large Space Debris Fall Puts South Korea on 'Emergency' Alert

Ministry of Science and ICT: "Tracking Orbit via Astronomical Research Institute, Expected to Fall on the 31st"
"Low Possibility of Falling on the Korean Peninsula"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] As a large piece of Chinese space debris is expected to re-enter the atmosphere and crash onto the surface on the 31st, our government has also started preparing for any possible contingencies.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 28th that it is monitoring the risk of crash caused by the atmospheric re-entry of the Chinese space launch vehicle 'Long March 5B debris.'

This debris is the upper part of the Long March 5B launch vehicle used by China on the 24th to launch the second module for the construction of the Tiangong space station. It is a large piece of space debris estimated to weigh 20 tons, 31 meters in length, and 5 meters in diameter.

Currently, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, a space hazard monitoring agency, is tracking the trajectory of this object. According to the analysis, a crash is predicted around the 31st. Accordingly, since the 26th, the Ministry of Science and ICT has been conducting space monitoring activities with the Astronomy Institute to prepare for the risk of rocket debris crashing onto the Korean Peninsula.

Experts believe that some parts of the launch vehicle debris may not be completely incinerated in the atmosphere and could fall to the ground.

The problem is that this launch vehicle will drift in orbit without prior adjustment and then uncontrollably fall into the atmosphere due to gravity. The U.S. Space Force and others have tracked it so far and estimate it will fall between 41 degrees north and 41 degrees south latitude, but the exact location has not yet been identified.

The Chinese large space launch vehicle Long March 5B also crashed in May 2020. Approximately 20 tons, 30 meters in length, and 4.8 meters in diameter, it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on May 11, 2020. Some fragments that were not burned up in the atmosphere were found in C?te d'Ivoire. Also, in May 2021, it crashed into the Indian Ocean, but no debris was found. At that time, the Astronomy Institute analyzed the predicted orbit with its independently developed space object crash prediction program about 20 hours before the actual crash and proactively announced the possibility of impact on South Korea.

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "According to the orbit analysis results by the Astronomy Institute, the current likelihood of Long March 5B crashing onto the Korean Peninsula is low," adding, "We plan to continue closely monitoring it in case of any future orbital changes."

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