US Department of Defense: "No Plan to Shoot Down Falling Chinese Rocket... Hope It Falls into the Sea"

"Criticism of China's Rocket Orbit Deviation, Handled Negligently"
Exact Drop Point and Location Still Unknown

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of Defense stated that the U.S. military currently has no plans to shoot down a Chinese rocket that has gone out of control, and that the U.S. Space Command is continuing to track its location. The exact point and location of the rocket's reentry remain unknown, and air forces from the U.S. and other countries are cooperating to track its position. The rocket is over 30 meters long and weighs more than 21 tons, raising concerns about massive casualties if it falls into urban areas.

On the 6th (local time), U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a press conference, "The U.S. military is continuously tracking the location of the Chinese rocket that is currently uncontrollably heading toward Earth, and there are no immediate plans to shoot it down," adding, "We hope the rocket debris falls into the ocean or a similar area where it will not harm anyone." The U.S. Space Command is tracking the rocket's location in coordination with allied air forces, and the rocket is expected to fall to Earth around the 8th to 9th. However, due to various variables, the exact location of the fall cannot be precisely determined.

The rocket is the Changzheng 5B rocket, which carried a module for China's independently built space station and went off orbit starting on the 5th after being launched on the 29th of last month. The U.S. Space Command warned on the 5th that the rocket had gone out of control and that it would be very dangerous if it fell into urban areas.

This large rocket is over 30 meters long and weighs more than 21 tons. If it falls to the ground, debris is expected to survive atmospheric reentry and impact the surface. There are concerns about massive casualties if it crashes into densely populated urban areas.

Secretary Austin criticized China, saying, "China has been negligent in handling the rocket's orbital deviation," and emphasized, "Activities in space must be conducted safely and cautiously."