The out-of-control Long March 5B rocket that has fascinated the Western media so much will re-enter the atmosphere over the Mediterranean Sea, some 200 kilometers south of Turkey, a Chinese space engineering agency has said.
The much-covered piece of space junk, which used to be the Long March-5B Y2 rocket that delivered part of China’s space station into orbit on April 29, is expected to come down at 34.43 degrees north latitude and 28.38 degrees east longitude roughly at 10:12 am Beijing time (02:12 GMT). This is according to a statement of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, a department of the People’s Liberation Army, issued minutes before the rocket’s expected re-entry.
The expected coordinates are above the Mediterranean Sea, about 200 kilometers off the southern coast of Turkey and roughly as much from the shores of the Greek islands of Rhodes and Crete.
© Google Maps
Minutes before the statement appeared in the media, witnesses reported observing a bright object streaking throught the night skies in the Middle East, with reports and videos pouring in from countries like Jordan and Oman. After the spectacular fly-by the rocket headed over the Indian Ocean and flew over Perth, Australia, according to online trackers.
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