BEIJING — A large segment of a Chinese rocket is expected to make an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere early Sunday, but Beijing has downplayed fears of damage on the ground and said the risk is very low.
A Long March-5B rocket launched the first module of China’s new space station into Earth’s orbit on April 29.
Its 18-tonne main segment is now in freefall and experts have said it is difficult to say precisely where and when it will re-enter the atmosphere.
Space-Track, using US military data, tweeted that the projected re-entry was at 0211 GMT over the Mediterranean basin, with an uncertainty window of an hour either side of that estimate.
The US Space…
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