In response to the uncontrolled re-entry of debris from the Chinese Communist Party’s Long March 5B rocket into the Earth’s atmosphere, new NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Saturday night (May 8) condemned the Communist Party’s space activities as “failing to meet responsible standards.
Citing the Chinese Communist Party’s Manned Space Program Office, official media reported that the wreckage of the much-anticipated Long March 5B rocket had landed in the Indian Ocean west of the Maldives. According to the office, “the vast majority of the rocket’s components were ablated and destroyed during re-entry,” Xinhua said.
NASA confirmed on Sunday that the rocket, launched by the Chinese Communist Party on April 29, had returned to the atmosphere, but said it was “unknown” whether the rocket debris had fallen to the ground or into the water.
NASA Administrator Nelson issued a statement Saturday criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, stressing that it is “critical” that the Communist Party and all spacefaring nations and commercial entities “act responsibly and transparently in space.
Nelson said spacefaring nations must minimize the risk to people and property on Earth from the re-entry of space objects and maximize the transparency of those operations. “It is clear that China is not meeting the standards of responsibility when it comes to space debris,” the statement reads.
The Associated Press (AP) reported Sunday that people in Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia, among other countries, have spotted the rocket debris and posted videos on social media showing it falling.
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