Some fragments of a Chinese rocket that fell back to Earth on Saturday have reportedly been discovered in Malaysia and Indonesia.
“The rocket debris caught fire while entering the earth’s airspace, and the movement of the burning debris had also crossed the Malaysian airspace and was detected in several areas, including crossing the airspace around the state of Sarawak,” it stated.
“Preliminary investigations show that the first object [in Bintulu], measuring around five inches, does not emit radiation and contains no radioactive elements,” it stated. “The second object [in Miri] also showed the same result.”
Investigations are still ongoing to ascertain whether the two objects are debris from the Chinese rocket launched into space on July 24, and appropriate action will be considered, the agency said.
Over in Indonesia, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) confirmed Sunday that the Chinese rocket crossed the southern Sumatra airspace and west Kalimantan at its last trajectory.
Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, claimed that rocket debris fell in Sarawak and Kalimantan, Indonesia, but no casualties or property damage were reported.
Rocket Falls Uncontrolled to Earth
U.S. Space Command confirmed that China’s Long March 5B rocket re-entered Earth over the Indian Ocean on Saturday but referred inquiries about the re-entry’s technical aspects—such as the potential dispersal of debris and the impact location—to China.NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also criticized China for not sharing information on the rocket’s descent, stating that doing so is “critical for the responsible use of space” and the safety of humanity.
The Long March 5B blasted off July 24 to deliver a laboratory module to the new Chinese space station under construction in orbit, marking the third flight of China’s most powerful rocket since its maiden launch in 2020.