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The Giant Piece of Space Junk Hurtling Towards You Right Now
Look out below! The growing problem of orbital debris is getting more serious
According to Gizmodo, a Chinese rocket booster failed to clear Low Earth Orbit (LEO) during its separation phase. That means that instead of floating (relatively) harmlessly in high orbit where it will circle the globe in perpetuity, it is now going to slowly sink into the upper atmosphere until it is dragged back down to the surface. This means that there is a “non zero chance” that this rocket booster could inadvertently hit someone or something here on Earth.
That chance is very low. Most of the Earth is covered by water and the parts that are not submerged are often largely uninhabited but this incident highlights the growing issue of space junk and its impact on people everywhere.
The dimensions
The booster in question was part of the Chinese Long March 5B which is a model variant of one of their largest rockets ever produced. The booster was a part of the core section of the rocket which successfully decoupled after nearly 400 seconds. However, the core section did not land in orbit where intended.
This core booster measures 98 feet long and 16 feet in diameter. The booster weighs roughly 46,000…
