User:Spacereedcoder/sandbox

Bold text Italic text

Long March 5B
China’s Long March 5B rocket makes splash, but good news burns up in the atmosphere

Casualties avoided, but China is criticised for failing to plan a ‘targeted re-entry’ to determine where debris would land The rocket and its predecessor – debris from which landed in Africa – have made the largest uncontrolled descents in 30 years, amid differing views on the risksSpacereedcoder (talk) 14:28, 13 May 2021 (UTC)Its fragments plunged into the Indian Ocean with no casualties, but the fall to Earth of the Long March 5B rocket focused attention on China’s forays into space – against the inevitable backdrop of broader tussles with the West.

As the rocket was re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday, US space agency Nasa said China had failed to “meet responsible standards”, before China hit back, saying the operation was conducted within international law.

Space operation experts said that the criticism of China was based on established space practice, but the descent of the Long March 5B highlighted differences between Chinese and US views, magnified on this occasion by the giant size of the launcher rocket and China’s failure to plan a “targeted re-entry” of its debris.Spacereedcoder (talk) 14:28, 13 May 2021 (UTC) Before the announcement, Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said that all spacefaring nations should minimise risks to people and property on Earth, and maximise transparency.

“It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding [its] space debris,” he said in a statement. “It is critical that China and all spacefaring nations and commercial entities act responsibly and transparently in space to ensure the safety, stability, security and long-term sustainability of outer-space activities.”

His remarks were rejected by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, who said on Monday that Western nations had adopted double standards over China’s mission. She said it had adhered to international law and Beijing was willing to expand cooperation with other nations on space matters.