Live tracking of the debris of the out-of-control China's Long March 5B rocket ( CZ-5B R/B ), which last week launched the core module of the country's space station, is set to re-enter the earth's atmosphere this weekend, around May 9th.

Live tracking here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29HGFep3Zek

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57045058

Apparently, it re-entered somewhere over the Arabian peninsula and the debris splashed down in the Indian ocean, albeit fairly close to the Maldives.

Maybe the Chinese can conduct another ASAT test on it. Perhaps they can render another 25% of LEO dangerous to flight.

So what's to prevent this from happening again the next time they launch another LM5B rocket? Or is this the new normal going forward?

889091 wrote:

So what's to prevent this from happening again the next time they launch another LM5B rocket? Or is this the new normal going forward?

Nothing. I gather that this is the current design choice for LM5B rockets because it's simpler (and cheaper).

889091 wrote:

So what's to prevent this from happening again the next time they launch another LM5B rocket? Or is this the new normal going forward?

The well known Chinese desire to be a responsible shareholder in the Global Commons.

acecrackshot wrote:

889091 wrote:

So what's to prevent this from happening again the next time they launch another LM5B rocket? Or is this the new normal going forward?

The well known Chinese desire to be a responsible shareholder in the Global Commons.

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

889091 wrote:

So what's to prevent this from happening again the next time they launch another LM5B rocket? Or is this the new normal going forward?

The well known Chinese desire to be a responsible shareholder in the Global Commons.

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

Maybe more to the point;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954

As for China, this incident has gained attention due to the size of the object and unlike previous Long March series, might have hit the ground outside of China, little said about previous versions routinely hitting China, including populated areas, not they we would hear of many complaints, those re education camps or just prisons don't fill themselves.
Though the biggest mark against them has been blowing up satellites in LEO regardless of the consequences for space debris, one thing to happen by accident, this was deliberate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Chin ... ssile_test

As the above states, the US has some blame here, while I do not think those blank faced old sociopaths running China needed an excuse to do such a irresponsible thing especially at that altitude, the second worst US President of modern times and his arrogantly idiotic Defence Secretary share some blame in withdrawing from the 1972 ABM treaty and the latter bigging up destructive ASAT 17 years after the US had decided it was a bad idea.

[photoid][/photoid]

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

889091 wrote:

So what's to prevent this from happening again the next time they launch another LM5B rocket? Or is this the new normal going forward?

The well known Chinese desire to be a responsible shareholder in the Global Commons.

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

Whataboutism.

Are we really arguing China’s well known environmentalism?

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

889091 wrote:

So what's to prevent this from happening again the next time they launch another LM5B rocket? Or is this the new normal going forward?

The well known Chinese desire to be a responsible shareholder in the Global Commons.

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

So, what right does China have to pollute LEO with weapons tests or large uncontrolled space debris?

If you want to have a thread on DU impact to the environment, go ahead have one.

Meanwhile, does not Zambia, Bolivia, Mongolia and the 175+ non UNSC P5 have a claim to be angry at irresponsible Chinese space activities?

acecrackshot wrote:

[photoid][/photoid]

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

The well known Chinese desire to be a responsible shareholder in the Global Commons.

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

Whataboutism.

Are we really arguing China’s well known environmentalism?

Oh dear, did someone get triggered? You can't complain about China not being a responsible shareholder in the "global commons" without also allowing criticism of those other so-called "responsible shareholders" you are comparing China to. Or did you just want to get away with unfettered and unchallenged criticism of China?

acecrackshot wrote:

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

The well known Chinese desire to be a responsible shareholder in the Global Commons.

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

So, what right does China have to pollute LEO with weapons tests or large uncontrolled space debris?

If you want to have a thread on DU impact to the environment, go ahead have one.

Meanwhile, does not Zambia, Bolivia, Mongolia and the 175+ non UNSC P5 have a claim to be angry at irresponsible Chinese space activities?

China has as much right as anyone else - as you very well know. China isn't the first country to have this happen, even deliberately, but hey lets all hate China because apparently thats the thing we *must* be doing these days.

Pathetic.

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

moo wrote:

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

So, what right does China have to pollute LEO with weapons tests or large uncontrolled space debris?

If you want to have a thread on DU impact to the environment, go ahead have one.

Meanwhile, does not Zambia, Bolivia, Mongolia and the 175+ non UNSC P5 have a claim to be angry at irresponsible Chinese space activities?

China has as much right as anyone else - as you very well know. China isn't the first country to have this happen, even deliberately, but hey lets all hate China because apparently thats the thing we *must* be doing these days.

Pathetic.

I would've been interested to hear your thoughts if this thing had rained down on a populated area. The odds were it wasn't going to happen, but there is always that chance.

I wonder what the Chinese authorities would've thought if it had ploughed into Beijing, Shanghai, or New York, London or Moscow for that matter ?

LTEN11 wrote:

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

So, what right does China have to pollute LEO with weapons tests or large uncontrolled space debris?

If you want to have a thread on DU impact to the environment, go ahead have one.

Meanwhile, does not Zambia, Bolivia, Mongolia and the 175+ non UNSC P5 have a claim to be angry at irresponsible Chinese space activities?

China has as much right as anyone else - as you very well know. China isn't the first country to have this happen, even deliberately, but hey lets all hate China because apparently thats the thing we *must* be doing these days.

Pathetic.

I would've been interested to hear your thoughts if this thing had rained down on a populated area. The odds were it wasn't going to happen, but there is always that chance.

I wonder what the Chinese authorities would've thought if it had ploughed into Beijing, Shanghai, or New York, London or Moscow for that matter ?

SpaceX recently had large pieces falling on Washington State after an uncontrolled re-entry of an upper stage.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/b ... ast-month/
https://www.space.com/spacex-rocket-deb ... ngton-farm

Other than the light and sound show not much was heard about it. Certainly not the media roar about uncontrolled Chinese rockets hitting your home.

JJJ wrote:

LTEN11 wrote:

moo wrote:

China has as much right as anyone else - as you very well know. China isn't the first country to have this happen, even deliberately, but hey lets all hate China because apparently thats the thing we *must* be doing these days.

Pathetic.

I would've been interested to hear your thoughts if this thing had rained down on a populated area. The odds were it wasn't going to happen, but there is always that chance.

I wonder what the Chinese authorities would've thought if it had ploughed into Beijing, Shanghai, or New York, London or Moscow for that matter ?

SpaceX recently had large pieces falling on Washington State after an uncontrolled re-entry of an upper stage.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/b ... ast-month/
https://www.space.com/spacex-rocket-deb ... ngton-farm

Other than the light and sound show not much was heard about it. Certainly not the media roar about uncontrolled Chinese rockets hitting your home.

I posted in the SpaceX thread the same response...

The difference is that the SpaceX re entry was accidental, and about 10 times smaller.

So not really equivalent at all

Correct me, if I'm wrong but AFAIK most of the debris in LEO is not of Chinese origin.

moo wrote:

acecrackshot wrote:

moo wrote:

I’d rather have this than American depleted uranium all over the middle east...

So, what right does China have to pollute LEO with weapons tests or large uncontrolled space debris?

If you want to have a thread on DU impact to the environment, go ahead have one.

Meanwhile, does not Zambia, Bolivia, Mongolia and the 175+ non UNSC P5 have a claim to be angry at irresponsible Chinese space activities?

China has as much right as anyone else - as you very well know. China isn't the first country to have this happen, even deliberately, but hey lets all hate China because apparently thats the thing we *must* be doing these days.

Pathetic.

For what it’s worth: I am absolutely supporting your viewpoint. Cute, though, how everyone and their mother is getting so upset.

Technically China can do what ever it wants until someone pushes back.

It's not just this episode.

-The man made Island.
-The hundreds of fishing vessels off the Philippine coast.

All these little things add up to bad PR. Something that a coordinated Twitter offensive may or may not drown out.

bt

bikerthai wrote:

Technically China can do what ever it wants until someone pushes back.

It's not just this episode.

-The man made Island.
-The hundreds of fishing vessels off the Philippine coast.

All these little things add up to bad PR. Something that a coordinated Twitter offensive may or may not drown out.

bt

Don't forget the mass illegal fishing fleet off South America.

Heinkel wrote:

Correct me, if I'm wrong but AFAIK most of the debris in LEO is not of Chinese origin.

"most of" - no, certainly not.

Their ASAT test in 2008 increased the number of trackable threats by ~30%, and the high orbit of the destroyed satellite means that most of the debris is still there. So for their limited space program they've been very active at creating debris.

China, much like all other major states with a space program, is part of the UNOOSA IADC (Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee) that has agreed on guidelines to prevent new space debris and reduce the damage from existing and future space debris. That includes measures to guarantee a controlled reentry of large objects over uninhabited regions.

So China goes against international guidelines, rules that they themselves set up and agreed to. In the space community, this is considered a dick move.

mxaxai wrote:

In the space community, this is considered a dick move.

In bird culture, too

moo wrote:

China has as much right as anyone else - as you very well know. China isn't the first country to have this happen, even deliberately, but hey lets all hate China because apparently thats the thing we *must* be doing these days.

Pathetic.

Look on the bright side, Moo. In America, you've got the freedom to criticize the government. In the PRC, you've also got the freedom to criticize the US government.

Where did it come down finally ? There was no news about that....

Djlorry3 wrote:

Where did it come down finally ? There was no news about that....

Believe it was just west of The Maldives.

First supply module launched and docked;
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-china-car ... ation.html

GDB wrote:

As the above states, the US has some blame here, ......

IMU this was direct fall out from the US assuming control over space ( if by words only )
the A-Sat test was a kind of "Think Again" hint.

Then and IMHO : China is moving much faster through industrialization
including "getting cleaner".
independent of "not playing with the West" they are moving at some speed in that domain.
They just don't blab so much about it.

acecrackshot wrote:

Look on the bright side, Moo. In America, you've got the freedom to criticize the government. In the PRC, you've also got the freedom to criticize the US government.

Bit of a Radio Jerewan thing, isn't it
Q: is it true that in the west everyone has a car?
A: in principle yes. But we have the parking space .. )

In the PRC the primary issues may just be "receiving dollars for stating your government critique".

WIederling wrote:

They just don't blab so much about it.

No the propaganda is much more sophisticated now.

Some of us here are so western centric. Though the Chinese economy has impact every part of our every day life, we do not see directly the weight of their cultural influence. Ask the ordinary citizens of their neigbors, you will get less glowing admiration.

bt