Tonight's Sky Showered with Chinese Space Debris... Will South Korea Be Safe?

Space Station 'Tianhe' Launch Vehicle Reenters Atmosphere and Falls Around 11 PM
Rocket Debris Weighing 21 Tons, 31m Long, 5m Diameter
Ministry of Science and ICT: "Currently in Orbit, No Possibility of Falling on Korean Peninsula"

In April last year, the Long March 5B rocket carrying the core module (component) of the space station, 'Tianhe,' was launched from Wenchang, Hainan, China. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Space debris from a rocket launched by China to build its space station is expected to fall below the atmosphere around 11 p.m. on the 4th. Although the observed orbit indicates that the debris is unlikely to fall on the Korean Peninsula, the government has begun precise monitoring such as orbit tracking in preparation for any emergency. Readers As China, on the verge of completing its space station, has recently launched a series of super-large rockets, the amount of falling debris has increased, triggering a 'Chinese space debris alert' worldwide every day.

Expected to fall around 11 p.m., no possibility of falling on the Korean Peninsula

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it is monitoring the risk of falling debris from the Chinese space launch vehicle. This debris is the upper part of the 'Changzheng 5B' rocket launched by China on the 31st of last month, estimated to weigh 21 tons, with a length of 31 meters and a diameter of about 5 meters. According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, the space debris is expected to fall around 11 p.m. (±6 hours) on this day. Based on the analysis of the debris's entry orbit as of 9 a.m., the institute found that the possibility of the debris falling on the Korean Peninsula is almost none.

However, the Ministry of Science and ICT, together with the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, is continuing monitoring activities through the Orbital Wide-field Light-collectors Network (OWL-Net) to prepare for any potential danger. OWL-Net responds by predicting in real time the expected fall area of artificial objects falling to Earth and narrowing down the range.

The descent trajectory of the Long March 5B debris released by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. It is predicted not to pass over the Korean Peninsula. / Photo by Yonhap News

This is not the first time Chinese space debris entering the atmosphere has triggered threat alerts. In April last year and July this year, debris from the Changzheng 5B launch vehicle fell to the Earth, landing in the Indian Ocean nearby. In May 2020, fragments of a Chinese launch vehicle were found in a village in C?te d'Ivoire, Africa, sparking controversy.

The Changzheng 5B was developed as a carrier launch vehicle for China's independent space station 'Tiangong.' Both its weight and scale are enormous. It is a large rocket with a total weight of 837 tons, a length of 57 meters, and a diameter of about 5 meters.

Chinese super-large launch vehicle debris does not burn up in the atmosphere but strikes Earth

Due to its much larger size than typical launch vehicles, the Changzheng 5B leaves an unusually large amount of debris in space. Generally, space launch vehicle debris burns up and disappears due to friction in the atmosphere while falling to Earth or remains in Earth's orbit. However, parts detached from the Changzheng 5B cannot stay in orbit due to their heavy weight and fall below the atmosphere. Even if they burn in the atmosphere, large fragments remain and strike the Earth.

The scene of the Chinese Long March 5B crash witnessed around Malaysia and the Philippines on July 31. / Photo by Twitter Capture

As the construction of Tiangong nears completion, the increased frequency of Changzheng 5B launches is also one of the causes of the rise in Chinese space debris. The Changzheng 5B was launched once each in 2020 and last year, but this year it was launched twice, in July and November. Notably, the rocket that is the source of this debris carried 'Mengtian,' the last module of Tiangong.

As China's space debris problem worsens, international criticism is also intensifying. After debris from the Changzheng 5B rocket fell in July last year, Bill Nelson, Administrator of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), stated in a press release, "It is clear that China is not meeting standards related to space debris."

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