The United States government has warned that an out of control Chinese space rocket will hit Earth on Saturday. They have also warned that it could hit an inhabited area and cause widespread damage.
The rocket, 'Long March 5B', was discovered by the US system 'Space Track'. The rocket was only launched last month as part of China's space-station program.
The rocket is 100 feet long and 16 feet wide. While small, it must be remembered that the rocket is currently travelling at 4 miles per second (orbiting the earth in just 2 hours).
US Department of Defense spokesperson, Mike Howard, said:
"US Space Command is aware of and tracking the location of the Chinese Long March 5B in space, but its exact entry point into the Earth's atmosphere cannot be pinpointed until within hours of its reentry, which is expected around May 8."
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, added:
"It's potentially not good. Last time they launched a Long March 5B rocket they ended up with big long rods of metal flying through the sky and damaging several buildings in the Ivory Coast. Most of it burned up, but there were these enormous pieces of metal that hit the ground. We are very lucky no one was hurt."
The rocket is currently sitting at the latitude of Madrid and New York, but it is entirely unpredictable where it will land. Scientists will be hoping that the rocket lands in the ocean far from any human being.
A previous 'Long March' Chinese rocket landed uncontrolled last year. In that incident, it was fortunate that the rocket landed in water off the coast of Africa. The rocket had however passed over Los Angeles and New York on its descent.
China has greatly expanded its space program in recent years and is currently building the largest space station ever made. The new construction will dwarf the International Space Station as China aims to surpass the accomplishments of both the European Space Agency and NASA.
[h/t: Daily Mail]
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