U.S. Space Command In Colorado Helping Monitor Falling Rocket From China
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - U.S. Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs helped keep an eye on falling debris from a rocket. The Chinese Long March 5B re-entered the earth's atmosphere on May 8 in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives. Military officials called it an "uncontrolled re-entry."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry says most of it will burn up as it re-enters the atmosphere, and it's highly unlikely to cause any harm.
U.S. Space Command expected the entire rocket body to make landfall between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. MST.
"Its exact entry point into the Earth's atmosphere cannot be pinpointed until within hours of its reentry," said the U.S. Space Command. "Until then, the 18th Space Control Squadron, which is tasked with providing 24/7 support to the space surveillance network, is offering daily updates to the rocket body's location."
Officials are providing updates on the rocket online.
