The Long March-5B Y2 rocket, carrying the core module of China s space station Tianhe, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan province, China, April 29. Reuters
Remnants of China s biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, with most of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere, ending days of speculation over where the debris would hit but drawing US criticism over lack of transparency.
The coordinates given by Chinese state media, citing the China Manned Space Engineering Office, put the point of impact in the ocean, west of the Maldives archipelago.
Debris from the Long March 5B had some people looking warily skyward since it blasted off from China s Hainan island on April 29, but the China Manned Space Engineering Office said most of the debris was burnt up in the atmosphere.
Follow RT on The out-of-control Long March 5B rocket that so fascinated the Western media re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean and burned up, the Chinese space engineering agency has said.
The much-covered piece of space junk from the Long March-5B Y2 rocket, which delivered part of China’s space station into orbit on April 29, was expected to come down during the night between Saturday and Sunday. Initial estimates from the China Manned Space Engineering Office, a department of the People’s Liberation Army, placed the re-entry in the eastern Mediterranean.
However, the CMSEO said the rocket made re-entry at 10:24am Beijing time (02:24 GMT) and fell into the ocean around 72.47 E longitude and 2.65 N latitude. Most of it burned up on re-entry, as the Long March descended at an average speed of eight kilometers per second (five miles per second).
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Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby, announced Sunday that Medina Spirit, the 2021 Derby winner, tested positive for the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone. The steroid isn t completely banned in Kentucky horse racing, but Medina Spirit s post-race blood sample reportedly was found to have double the legal threshold. In response, Churchill Downs has suspended trainer Bob Baffert from entering horses at the track, though it appears Medina Spirit will be tested again, so the win is still valid. If the findings are upheld, however, the horse will be stripped of his victory, and Mandaloun, the runner-up, will be crowned. Baffert, who for now has a record seven Kentucky Derby wins, denies involvement. This shouldn t have happened, he said. There s a problem somewhere. It didn t come from us.
NASA slams China after its rocket debris crashes into Indian Ocean, says THIS
The Global Times, a Chinese tabloid, dismissed as Western hype concerns the rocket was out of control and could cause damage. People watch from a beach as the Long March-5B Y2 rocket, carrying the core module of China s space station Tianhe, takes off from Wenchang. (Image: Reuters)
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Updated: May 9, 2021, 06:28 PM IST
NASA, the US space agency, slammed China on Sunday for failing to meet responsible standards regarding its space debris after remnants of a Chinese rocket plunged into the Indian Ocean. Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximize transparency regarding those operations, CNN quoted NASA Administrator Senator Bill Nelson s statement.