Parabolic Arc by Doug Messier 11/1/2022
Once the rocket goes up
who cares where it will crash?
It launches 25 tons of mass….For its first decades as a space power, China located its spaceports inland where they would be more difficult for enemies to destroy in the event of a war. That meant that, like the Soviet Union, spent rocket stages were dropped over land. The hair-raising risks involved have been revealed in recent years as Chinese residents have posted cell phone videos of stages with toxic propellants crashing near residences.
One might think that would not be a problem with China’s newest spaceport, Wenchang, which is located right on the coast. But, you’d be wrong. At least with the massive Long March 5B booster that launches the nation’s largest payloads, like the Mengtian science module that docked with the Tiangong space station today.
Long March 5B’s design means that the entire core stage — about 30 meters long with an empty mass of about 21.5 metric tons (23.8 tons) — enters low orbit. That makes it one of the largest objects ever launched with no way to deorbit it in a controlled way over some remote part of the ocean. The stage continues to circle the Earth getting lower and lower due to atmospheric drag until it reenters and rains debris over some random part of the world.
Orbital path of China’s Long March 5B. (Credit: The Aerospace Corporation)
More:
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2022/11/01/heads-up-massive-out-of-control-chinese-rocket-stage-could-be-coming-to-a-town-near-you/
