The press service of the US Space Command noted that this rocket does not have several stages, like many others
WASHINGTON, May 5. /TASS/. The Pentagon is not sure that the Changzheng-5B rocket (CZ-5B; Long March 5B), which put the Chinese station module into orbit, will disintegrate upon re-entry into the atmosphere. This was reported on Wednesday by TASS in the press service of the US Space Command.
Speaking about the possibility to estimate the probability that the object will disintegrate upon re-entry into the atmosphere, the representative of the command said: "Not at this stage. There are too many factors that need to be taken into account so early, such as atmospheric conditions and the exact angle of the object at re-entry."
As expected, the press service noted, "the entire body of the rocket will enter the atmosphere." "This particular rocket does not have multiple stages like many other rockets (i.e. lower stage and upper stage). It is for this reason that the size [of the object entering the atmosphere] is unusually large, " the command said. They also said that they are notifying the State Department about" objects of high interest " that will enter the atmosphere.
As the press service reported on Thursday, the command "is aware of and is tracking the location of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket in space." She explained that at the moment, " the exact location of its entry into the Earth's atmosphere cannot be determined." The object is expected to enter the atmosphere on May 8.
As reported by TASS in Roscosmos, Russian monitoring tools track the descent from the orbit of the second stage of the CZ-5B rocket. The fall of fireproof structures does not threaten the Russian Federation. Currently, the stage, which has a dry weight of 18 tons, performs an uncontrolled descent from orbit. As explained in Roscosmos, the time of termination of the ballistic existence of the stage of the CZ-5B carrier rocket with the determination of the possible area of its fall will be clarified as the parameters of the object's movement are updated. Some of the stage structures will burn in the dense layers of the atmosphere, and some non-combustible structural elements may reach the earth's surface.
Sun Zhongping, a Chinese expert in the field of missile weapons, said that the fall of parts of spent launch vehicles is normal, and the eco-friendly fuel of the design will not lead to pollution of the ocean area where they should fall. The expert compared the suspicions of the West about the missile with the arguments about the "Chinese threat" aimed at the aerospace industry of the People's Republic of China.
