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Suspected debris from a Chinese rocket was observed falling over a village in southwest China on Saturday, as captured in dramatic videos circulating on Chinese social media and shared with CNN by a local witness.
The incident unfolded shortly after a Long March 2C carrier rocket lifted off at 3 pm local time Saturday (3 am Eastern Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province. This launch aimed to place into orbit the Space Variable Objects Monitor, a collaborative satellite project between China and France designed to study gamma-ray bursts. Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it a priority to elevate China's status as a leading space power, increasing the frequency of missions to enhance China's competitiveness against major global players such as the United States, as reported by CNN. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the state-owned contractor responsible for developing the Long March 2C rocket, declared Saturday's launch a "complete success." CNN reached out to both CASC and the State Council Information Office, which handles press inquiries for the Chinese government and its space agency, for comment on the incident. Videos posted on Kuaishou, a Chinese short-video platform, depicted a cylindrical piece of debris descending over a rural village, crashing near a hill with yellow smoke billowing from one end. CNN's analysis geolocated the footage to Xianqiao village in Guizhou province, which borders Sichuan to the southeast, where the launch site is situated. The video originated from an IP address in Guizhou and showcased multiple angles of the debris descending, including villagers, including children, fleeing while observing the orange trail in the sky, with some covering their ears in anticipation of the crash. By Monday afternoon, several videos had been removed from Chinese social media platforms. Eyewitness accounts shared on social media described hearing a loud explosion upon impact, with one witness telling CNN they saw the rocket fall with their own eyes. They described experiencing a pungent odour and hearing the sound of the explosion afterwards. A government notice, subsequently deleted but reposted by a local villager following the launch, outlined plans for a "rocket debris recovery mission" scheduled from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. local time on Saturday in Xinba Town, near Xianqiao village. Residents were advised to vacate their homes and other structures an hour before the launch, moving to open areas to observe the sky. The notice cautioned against approaching the debris to avoid potential harm from toxic gases and explosions. Residents were strictly prohibited from photographing the debris or disseminating related videos online, according to the notice. Local authorities reported no immediate injuries resulting from the incident. Markus Schiller, a rocket expert and associate senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, identified the debris as likely the first-stage booster of the Long March 2C rocket. He noted the rocket's use of a highly toxic liquid propellant composed of nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH), which produces distinctive orange smoke trails and poses significant health risks due to its toxicity and carcinogenic nature. "This combination always creates these orange smoke trails. It's extremely toxic and carcinogenic," Schiller said. "Every living being that inhales that stuff will have a hard time in the near future," he added. Schiller emphasised that such incidents are not uncommon in China due to the geographical positioning of its launch sites. Rockets typically launch eastward to leverage Earth's rotation for additional thrust, often passing over villages in the booster's trajectory during the initial stages of flight. China operates three primary inland launch sites: Xichang in the southwest, Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert to the northwest, and Taiyuan in the north, all established during the Cold War for security reasons, distant from coastal areas. In 2016, China inaugurated its fourth launch site at Wenchang in Hainan Island, the country's southernmost province, reflecting its ongoing expansion and development in space exploration capabilities. In contrast, NASA and the European Space Agency predominantly conduct launches from coastal locations directed towards open ocean, reducing the risk of populated areas being affected by falling debris. Western space agencies have largely phased out the use of highly toxic liquid propellants in favour of safer alternatives for civilian space programs, a move China and Russia have yet to emulate. Multi-stage rockets, like the Long March series, shed debris during initial stages shortly after launch, with trajectories typically predicted and managed before liftoff. Prior to each launch, China's civil aviation authority issues notices to pilots, known as NOTAMs, marking "temporary danger areas" where rocket debris may descend. Instances of rocket debris impacting villages in China have been documented previously, including a December 2023 incident where rocket debris damaged two homes in southern Hunan Province. In 2002, fragments from a satellite launch injured a boy in Shaanxi province when they fell into his village. "I expect that we'll see something like that for quite a while, for many years to come," Schiller said. The international space community has previously criticised China for its handling of debris from out-of-control rocket boosters re-entering Earth's atmosphere. In 2021, NASA condemned China for failing to adhere to responsible standards after debris from a Long March 5B rocket uncontrollably crashed into the Indian Ocean west of the Maldives following re-entry, CNN reported. (ANI)
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