New Delhi (NVI): A Chinese rocket, which went out of control in space, crash-landed this morning in the Indian Ocean, reportedly in waters between India and Maldives.
The rocket Long March 5 was launched on April 29 carrying into orbit Tianhe, which is the first module of China’s future space station.
However, it lost control in space and on March 7 started movement back towards the Earth.
The US had said it was tracking the movement of the rocket as it circled the Earth and was about to enter the lower atmosphere.
But nobody was able to pinpoint a place where the rocket or its debris could land with major force.
The US had said it had no plans to shoot down the rocket even as its Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said, “We’re hopeful that it will land in a place where it won’t harm anyone.”
In a veiled criticism of China, Austin said, “There should be a requirement to operate in a safe and thoughtful mode and make sure that we take those kinds of things into consideration as we plan and conduct operations.”
