Rocket debris fallout reignites safety concerns in Chinese space program
The Chinese space program still has a long way to go, especially in terms of rocket launch safety. Videos have surfaced on Chinese social media showing fragments of a Chinese rocket falling onto a village in southwestern China.
This incident involves the Long March 2C rocket, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province. The rocket sent the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) satellite into orbit. This satellite, developed jointly by China and France, aims to study distant star explosions known as gamma-ray bursts.
The state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) celebrated Saturday's launch as a significant success. However, the dangerous descent of rocket debris into the village of Xianqiao in Guizhou province seems to have been overlooked.
Chinese rocket crashed into village
Videos have emerged on Chinese social media showing the moment the rocket debris fell on the village. A bright yellow streak in the sky is also visible.
According to social media reports, witnesses heard a loud explosion after the rocket fragment hit the ground. An eyewitness reportedly told CNN that he saw the falling rocket, heard the explosion, and smelled a sharp odour afterward.
CNN reports that the Chinese government issued a notice about plans to conduct a mission to recover the rocket debris. Officials warned residents to stay away from the remnants to avoid potential harm from the explosion and toxic gases. A strict ban on photographing the rocket and sharing videos online was also imposed. However, the notice was subsequently removed from the internet.
Expert warns of the consequences of rocket fallout
Markus Schiller, a rocket expert and senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told CNN that the footage most likely shows the first stage of the Long March 2C rocket. This rocket uses a liquid nitrogen tetroxide propellant and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH).
Schiller stressed how this combination always creates orange smoke trails. It is highly toxic and carcinogenic. Any living being that inhales this substance will face severe health issues.
Schiller noted that such incidents occur frequently in China due to the launch site's location.
He instructs that if you want to launch something into low Earth orbit, you usually launch it eastward to gain extra momentum from Earth's rotation. But if you launch from the east, there are always villages along the path of the rocket boosters' first stage.
Multistage rockets are designed to discard successive stages along predictable trajectories after launch. Before each launch, the Chinese Civil Aviation Authority typically issues a notice to pilots, known as a NOTAM, to warn them of "temporary danger areas" where rocket debris might fall.
Known problem with Chinese rockets
It is worth noting that China has previously faced criticism from the international space community for its handling of rocket debris. Similar incidents have occurred in the past. In December 2023, rocket debris fell in Hunan province, damaging two houses. In 2002, fragments of a launched satellite fell on a village in Shaanxi province, injuring a boy.
