BEIJING (AP) – Debris from a rocket that propelled part of China’s new space station into orbit fell into the sea off the Philippines on Sunday, the Chinese government announced.
Most of the final stage of the Long Range-5B rocket burned up after entering the atmosphere at 12:55 p.m., China’s Manned Space Agency reported. The agency previously said the booster would be allowed to fall without guidance.
The announcement did not give details on whether the remaining debris fell on land or in the sea, but said the “landing area” was at 119 degrees east longitude and 9.1 degrees north latitude. It is in the waters southeast of the Philippine city of Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan.
There was no immediate word from Philippine authorities on whether anyone on the ground was affected.
China has faced criticism for allowing rocket stages to fall to Earth unchecked twice before. NASA last year accused Beijing of “failing to meet responsible standards for its space debris” after parts of a Chinese rocket landed in the Indian Ocean.
The country’s first space station, Tiangong-1, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2016 after Beijing confirmed it had lost control. An 18-ton rocket fell out of control in May 2020.
China also faced criticism after it used a missile to destroy one of its missing weather satellites in 2007, creating a debris field that other governments said could endanger other satellites.
The July 24 launch of the Long March-5B, China’s most powerful rocket, launched the Wentian laboratory into orbit. It was attached to the main Tianhe module on Monday, where three astronauts live.
Debris from a separate cargo spacecraft servicing the station fell into a predetermined area in the South Pacific after most of it burned up on re-entry, the government announced earlier.