India Suffers from Chinese Space Debris 'Air Raids'... Twice in One Month [Reading Science]

Multiple metallic spherical objects weighing 5kg each fell in a rural area of western India on the 12th
Experts "Suspected debris from China's Long March 3B rocket launched in September last year"
Chinese rocket debris also fell in a nearby area on April 2nd

An object suspected to be Chinese space debris that fell in a rural area of India on the 12th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Amid the territorial dispute between China and India, India is suffering from a 'bombardment' of Chinese space debris. Recently, an incident occurred where Chinese space debris swept through rural villages in India in broad daylight. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but residents were reportedly terrified, startled by the loud noise.

According to Indian media Indian Express and space specialist media SpaceNews on the 17th, around 4:45 PM local time on the 12th, a loud noise was suddenly heard in three villages within a 15 km radius in the western rural region of Gujarat, India, followed by objects falling. Searches by local residents and police found objects estimated to be space debris, including black metal spheres weighing about 5 kg.

A local police official explained, "The first crash sound was heard around 4:45 PM, and shortly after, similar reports came from two other villages. In one village, debris fell on a house, but no one was injured or killed, and in another village, it fell in an area without houses." He added, "We cannot be certain what type of space debris it is, but according to residents, it definitely fell suddenly from the sky." The local police authorities have collected the suspected space debris and requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to analyze it.

Experts estimate that these objects are debris from China's recently launched Long March 3B rocket. China used the Long March 3B rocket last September to place the ZX-9B communication satellite into orbit. The third stage of the rocket re-entered the atmosphere on the 12th and fell to Earth, with some parts that did not burn up landing in the Indian region. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, stated, "I know that the Long March 3B re-entered the atmosphere and crashed that morning. The Gujarat area is included in the expected re-entry path of the Long March 3B rocket, and there were no other re-entries of objects that day."

Earlier, on April 2nd, up to 45 kg of space debris fell in another rural area, Sindewai, in western India, prompting an urgent investigation by Indian space authorities, who confirmed it was of Chinese origin. If the recent debris is confirmed to be Chinese, it means that India has experienced two 'bombardments' of Chinese space debris in just over a month.

China, which promotes its 'space rise' by launching dozens of satellites annually and constructing its own space station, is also frequently causing space debris problems.