The Earth can now sigh in relief as the 100-foot-tall, 22-metric-ton Chinese Long March 5B rocket, which helped launch Beijing’s new space station last month, lands near the Maldives, as reported by China’s Manned Space Engineering Office
Scientists, amateur satellite trackers, and the Pentagon have been holding their breath for over a week, monitoring the out-of-control rocket, fearing it would reenter Earth and land in a populated area.
US Space Command, the group that locates space junk and man-made satellites, said the rocket “re-entered over the Arabian Peninsula at approximately 10:15 p.m. EDT, however, it was unknown if it impacted land or water.
Space Track, a website that uses Space Command’s data to publish the rocket’s whereabouts, tweeted, “Everyone else following the #LongMarch5B re-entry can relax. The rocket is down.”
