Skip to main content

An out-of-control rocket is tumbling to Earth, but you should be OK

A 22-ton, 30-meter-tall Chinese rocket that launched to space last week is currently tumbling out of control, with some experts suggesting that debris from it will hit Earth in the coming days.

The rocket, a heavy-lift Long March-5B, launched the core module of China’s new space station on April 28.

Recommended Videos

After deploying the module to near-Earth orbit, the rocket’s job was done. But while most space objects burn up when they enter Earth’s atmosphere, the rocket’s large size means that some debris is likely to make it through and strike our planet.

The U.S. Space Command is currently tracking the rocket, but it’s too early to say precisely when and where the re-entry event will happen. The current consensus is that it will occur on Monday, May 10 — give or take a couple of days — but no one can be sure until a few hours before it happens.

While SpaceNews described the upcoming event as “one of the largest instances of uncontrolled re-entry of a spacecraft and could potentially land on an inhabited area,” it’s worth keeping in mind that the chances of a piece of debris landing on you or a loved one are extremely small.

Indeed, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Astrophysics Center at Harvard University, told CNN that he does not consider the scenario as “the end of days,” adding that it won’t be necessary for people to take any special precautions.

“The risk that there will be some damage or that it would hit someone is pretty small — not negligible, it could happen — but the risk that it will hit you is incredibly tiny,” McDowell said, adding that he won’t be losing any sleep over it.

However, McDowell described the outcome of China’s recent launch as “real negligence,” saying that it could’ve been avoided if the rocket had been designed in a way to ensure a controlled re-entry that sent it toward the water.

At the time of writing, the spent rocket is orbiting Earth at a speed of around 17,000 mph (27,800 kph) at an altitude of 167 miles (270 km) — about 50 miles (80 km) lower than at the weekend. A number of websites are tracking the rocket’s position, including this one.

China is using its Long March-5B rocket to build its new space station in low-Earth orbit. The rocket now falling to Earth deployed the Tianhe core module last week, with smaller sections — as well as astronauts — set to visit the orbiting outpost in the coming months.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Webb Telescope gets the star treatment in new NASA documentary
The Pillars of Creation, imaged by the James Webb Space Telescope

The pages of Digital Trends are filled with breathtaking images of deep space captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, including the beautiful Cosmic Tornado, the gorgeous Ring Nebula, the incredible Carina Nebula, and a stunning spiral galaxy. 

The Webb telescope -- the most powerful ever built -- launched in 2021 and has been scanning the far reaches of space ever since. Besides beaming back amazing infrared imagery, the telescope is also helping scientists to learn more about the universe’s first stars and galaxies, the formation of numerous stars and planetary systems, and the origins of life itself, by exploring distant places with unprecedented clarity. 

Read more
SpaceX Starlink rivalry grows as next Kuiper deployment nears
A ULA rocket launching Amazon's first Project Kuiper satellites in April 2025.

Amazon is about to send another batch of Project Kuiper internet satellites to orbit as it seeks to take on SpaceX’s Starlink service to provide broadband internet to customers around the world.

The tech giant has a long way to go before it has any hope of effectively challenging Starlink, but with its second launch set for next week, progress is being made toward its goal.

Read more
NASA’s red planet rover shares a cool close-up of Mars mud
A hole drilled by NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.

NASA’s Curiosity rover has been tootling across the martian surface since 2012, its lofty quest to determine if Mars ever had environmental conditions suitable for microbial life.

While it’s already shared strong evidence that the red planet once had the right conditions for such a scenario, Curiosity continues to learn more about Mars through science expeditions that include drilling for rock samples that it then analyzes in its onboard laboratory. 

Read more