Chinese Rocket’s Failed Launch, Throwing Large Debris Onto Two Villages

Last week, the Chinese space program launched a new rocket, promising to help the country expand major projects in low-Earth orbit. The Long March 5B rocket is built with a new compartment to send astronauts into space. However, during its launch, the rocket has dropped a quite large metal object on an Ivory Coast town.

Local sources stated that residents heard a loud explosion. They later discovered the component of the rocket lying on the ground. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Institution monitoring orbital activity has pointed out that the rocket should have only flown past the town.

Normally, the body of the rocket will be dropped into the open ocean after a mission is completed or be controlled to enter the graveyard orbit where it can no longer danger humans or other spacecraft.

However, China has long been famous for being negligent and regularly throwing rocket parts into areas that are densely populated near its launch sites.

In this case, the design of the rocket makes things even more difficult. Instead of using a multistage rocket, China uses Long March 5B which only has one core and four disposable thrusters. This means that the body of the rocket will be unusually large.

Usually, the first floor, which is larger in size, will be destroyed at the beginning of the mission, leaving only the second, smaller floor going into orbit.

>>> ISRO Delayed Rocket Launches To Manufacture Ventilators And Hand Sanitizer

​