China issues warning: debris from the rocket will fall in a region of the South China Sea on December 26.
Long March 5 rocket. (Photo: Our Space).
According to Reuters, the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration reported that rocket debris, which typically burns up in the atmosphere before returning to Earth, is expected to fall in the waters off Hainan Island around 11 AM local time.
China launched the Long March 5 rocket on December 15 from the Wenchang launch site in Hainan. This marks the sixth launch of this rocket type since its debut in 2016. A variant of this rocket, the Long March 5B, was previously used by China to send its probe to Mars.
The launch of the Long March 5B rocket in 2021 raised particular concerns due to speculation about where the debris would land. In 2020, debris from a Long March 5B rocket fell in Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings.
The Long March 5 mission earlier this month successfully launched what Chinese state media described as a “high-orbit optical remote sensing satellite.” The Long March rockets are commonly used to launch heavy payloads.
Xinhua News Agency reported that the satellite will be used for land surveying, crop yield assessment, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, disaster prevention, and relief efforts.
The news agency also noted that the payload at the top of the rocket is 18.5 meters long, significantly longer than the usual 12.267 meters, indicating that it is a very large satellite.
