"Fireworks at Dawn?"... Crash Amid Chinese Space Debris Controversy [Reading Science]

US Space Force "Presumed Crash in Indian Ocean Early on the 31st"
China "Fell Near Palawan Island, Philippines"
Photos Taken by Malaysian Residents Released on SNS Spark Attention

A resident of Kuching, Malaysia, captured footage of an object presumed to be debris from the Chinese Long March 5B rocket, falling while shining like fireworks. Photo by Twitter.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] It has been confirmed that debris from a large Chinese rocket fell into the Indian Ocean near Malaysia and the Philippines in the early morning of the 31st Korean time.

The U.S. Space Command announced via Twitter on the 30th (Eastern Time) at around 12:45 PM that the upper part of China's Long March 5B rocket re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.

A video taken by a civilian eyewitness also surfaced. A witness living in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, took photos of fragments raining down like a meteor shower in the night sky and posted them on Twitter. Some of the debris emitted very bright light and burned, resembling fireworks.

Based on these circumstances, it is suggested that some of the debris from the Long March 5B rocket, which re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean that day, may have fallen near Sibiu and Bintulu areas in Malaysia or near the Kingdom of Brunei. Jonathan McDowell, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, stated on Twitter, "The footage taken in Kuching was captured when the debris was high in the atmosphere, so the actual fall was likely hundreds of kilometers away," adding, "It is unlikely but not impossible that it fell in a populated area."

Chinese authorities have stated that the rocket body fell into the sea surface at 119.0 degrees east longitude and 9.1 degrees north latitude, slightly off Palawan Island in the Philippines.

This large piece of space debris drifted after being used on the 24th when China launched a module to build its independent space station, Tiangong, and was pulled by Earth's gravity to re-enter the atmosphere and fall that day. The problem is that this 25-ton Chinese large rocket debris fell uncontrollably without prior safety measures, and the Chinese government has not disclosed detailed information.

American experts have criticized China's irresponsible and opaque behavior. Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, issued a statement that day saying, "China did not provide specific orbital information about the Long March 5B rocket's re-entry to other countries," and criticized, "All countries involved in space development, especially for large launch vehicles like Long March 5B, should provide information to enable reliable predictions regarding debris fall risks."

Meanwhile, China plans to launch the Long March 5B rocket again in October to carry the final module for building the Tiangong space station, raising concerns that such incidents may recur. China previously launched this rocket in April 2021 and May 2020, causing commotion when debris that did not fully burn fell to the ground. Recently, in April and May, other Chinese rocket debris fell consecutively in rural areas of western India, frightening residents. In April 2018, the Tiangong-1 space station also fell.