Debris from Chinese rocket launch falls on village, raising safety concerns
- In Reports
- 12:26 PM, Jun 25, 2024
- Myind Staff
Videos shared on Chinese social media show suspected debris from a Chinese rocket falling to the ground over a village in southwest China. The footage captured the trail of bright yellow smoke left behind by the plummeting debris, prompting villagers to flee in response.
The incident occurred shortly after a Long March 2C carrier rocket launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, southwestern China. The rocket successfully deployed the Space Variable Objects Monitor, a collaborative satellite developed by China and France designed to observe gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pledged to elevate the country's status as a leading space power, intensifying missions to rival major global powers like the United States.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), a state-owned entity responsible for the Long March 2C rocket, declared Saturday’s launch a "complete success."
A video on Kuaishou showed cylindrical debris falling near a rural village in Guizhou province, neighbouring the launch site in Sichuan. Other videos on Chinese social media captured multiple angles of the debris falling, with villagers, including children, seen running away as it crashed.
After debris from a Chinese rocket crashed near Xianqiao village, witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion. Authorities had issued a notice for a debris recovery mission in nearby Xinba Town, advising residents to evacuate and avoid handling debris due to safety concerns. No immediate injuries were reported.
Markus Schiller, an expert in rockets and associate senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, identified the debris from the Long March 2C rocket's first-stage booster. He noted the booster uses a combination of nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as liquid propellants, which produce distinctive orange smoke trails known for their toxicity and carcinogenic properties.
Schiller highlighted the hazardous nature of these propellants, stating, "Every living being that inhales that stuff will have a hard time in the near future." He pointed out that such incidents are not uncommon in China due to the geographical positioning of its launch sites. Rockets are typically launched eastward to benefit from the Earth's rotation, often passing over villages in the process.
China's primary launch sites – Xichang in the southwest, Jiuquan in the northwest Gobi Desert, and Taiyuan in the north – were established during the Cold War with strategic considerations in mind, located far inland to mitigate security risks associated with coastal sites.
In 2016, China opened its fourth launch site in Wenchang, located on Hainan Island, the country’s southernmost province. This site complements China's three other inland launch facilities.
Markus Schiller, also a director at ST Analytics in Munich, Germany, noted that Western space agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency typically launch rockets from coastal locations towards the ocean, avoiding populated areas. Unlike Western agencies, China and Russia continue to use highly toxic liquid propellants in their space programs.
Multi-staged rockets routinely shed debris along predictable trajectories shortly after launch. China's civil aviation authority issues NOTAM notices to pilots before each launch, highlighting temporary danger areas where rocket debris may fall.
Debris from Chinese rockets has caused incidents before. In December 2023, rocket debris damaged houses in southern Hunan Province, while in 2002, satellite launch debris injured a boy in Shaanxi province. Criticism from the international space community has been directed at China for its management of out-of-control rocket boosters and their reentry debris.
Image source: ANI
Comments