The first image of the Chinese missile core plunges uncontrollably before falling back to Earth

Astronomers have captured the first image of the 21-ton Chinese Truong Chinh 5B rocket core rushing uncontrollably through space.

The 21-ton core of the Chinese Truong Chinh 5B missile was taken on the night of 5/5/2021. Photo: Project Virtual Telescope According to the Daily Mail, the Italy-based Virtual Telescope (VTP) project captured the core of the missile, which looks like a bright spot of light as it crashes through their Elena robot telescope. Chinese rockets have caught international attention throughout the week as debris of the 21-ton vehicle is expected to fly back to Earth uncontrolled over the weekend, with the risk of landing in areas with residents. According to Italian researchers, the Truong Chinh 5B missile has moved “extremely fast”, as it soared through a distance of about 700 km above the VTP’s telescope. The Space.com site said that Gianluca Masi, the Virtual Telescope project’s astronomer who took the photo, wrote in the photo description: “At the time of the photo shoot, the rocket core was far from the telescope. Ours is about 700 km, while the Sun is only a few degrees below the horizon, so the sky is extremely bright, making it difficult to take pictures. captured this giant fragment “- Masi wrote in the description of the photo. “This is another brilliant success, demonstrating the amazing ability of robotic vehicles to track such objects,” Mr. Masi affirmed. On April 29, China launched a 5B Truong Chinh missile that carries the main module of its own space station into the orbit of the Earth. This module, called Thien Ha, is 16.6 meters long. Watch the video of China launching a rocket carrying module of the Tianhe space station on April 29: Space agencies and astronomers around the world are now closely monitoring the 5B’s trajectory in the hope of being better prepared for the moment it falls back to Earth. The latest information shows that fragments of this giant rocket are expected to fall back to Earth on May 8 and the US government has warned they could fall into populated areas. US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby revealed the intended date of return to Earth’s atmosphere, but said the exact timing of that event was currently unidentifiable. Mr. Kirby said the government at this time “does not have enough information to be able to formulate specific plans”. However, he asserted that if there was information, they would share it appropriately.
The US Space Command is currently monitoring the Chinese missile as carefully as possible and giving daily updates to its position on the Space Track website. The Truong Chinh 5B Y2 missile carrying the Thien Ha core module was launched from the Van Xuong launch pad in Hainan province, China on April 29. Photo: THX Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at Harvard University (USA) and a specialist in orbital tracking, notes that the core of Truong Chinh 5B is the heaviest object that has fallen out of control through the atmosphere in nearly three decades. century. Before breaking, this core had a weight of nearly 21 tons. The last time a heavier object fell out of control was 1991, when the 43-ton Soviet Salyut-7 space station crashed on Argentina. Mr. McDowell calculated that the core was about to fall to Earth 7 times heavier than the second floor of the Falcon 9 rocket, which burned in the sky of Seattle, about a month ago. If returned to the atmosphere at night, it could produce a similar light trail. Despite US Department of Defense concerns, many industry observers believe the situation is not to the point of causing panic. The risk of being hit by debris is extremely small, says analyst McDowell. Meanwhile, Mr. Song Zhongping – a Chinese aerospace expert – on May 5 said that the rocket fragments returned to Earth is completely normal. China launched the Truong Chinh 5B rocket in May 2020 (photo) to test a vehicle for a program to send people to the Moon. Photo: Daily Mail Wang Ya’nan – editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine – added that during the missile development, Chinese aerospace officials have carefully considered from the initial stage of missile design and selection. Select launch location, to launch status and flight trajectory. “Most of the debris will burn up during its return to Earth’s atmosphere,” Wang explained. Only a very small fraction can fall to the ground and is likely to fall into the ocean or areas far away from where humans are active. Since Chinese rockets are mainly made of lightweight materials, most will easily be burned during high-speed fall through the atmosphere. Besides, Truong Chinh rocket also uses environmentally friendly fuel, so once the parts fall into the ocean, it will not cause water pollution. According to Space, if there is debris damage, the United Nations Convention on Liability of the Outer Space Treaty states that the launching country “must bear full responsibility for damages. caused by their space objects on the Earth’s surface or to an aircraft, and are responsible for damage caused by its fault in space “. The only time this convention was invoked was in 1978, when a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, Kosmos 954, spread radioactive debris across the Canadian Arctic, leading to a campaign. urgent cleaning and cost at least S $ 3 million in 1981 (equivalent to $ 7.5 million today).