BREAKING: Chinese rocket that put spy satellites into orbit breaks up over Texas amid fears debris could be scattered hundreds of miles
- Part of a Chinese rocket used to send military surveillance satellites into space has sunk back to Earth and disintegrated over Texas.
- The second stage of the Chang Zheng 2D ‘Long March’ rocket, which launched on June 23, fell on Wednesday.
- Military specialists are searching for debris in an area that covers hundreds of square miles.
Part of a Chinese rocket used to send military surveillance satellites into space has sunk back to Earth and disintegrated over Texas.
The second stage of the Chang Zheng 2D ‘Long March’ rocket, which launched on June 23, 2022, fell over the Lone Star State on Wednesday.
Defense officials told USNI the segment disintegrated as it hurtled back to Earth at about 17,000 miles per hour.
Military specialists are searching an area covering hundreds of square miles for debris, but nothing has yet been recovered.
Satellite tracking data from the North American Aerospace Defense Command indicated that the rocket piece had been in low-Earth orbit before making the “unscheduled descent.”
Tracking data reportedly shows the rocket was launched as part of a mission to send satellites into space aimed at collecting signal data from the South China Sea.
One photo purports to show the June launch of the Chinese rocket that fell to Earth and disintegrated over Texas on Wednesday.
Tracking data reportedly shows the rocket was launched as part of a mission to send satellites into space aimed at collecting signal data from the South China Sea.
The 135-foot rocket was launched on June 23 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in central China. The Chang Zheng 2D can carry cargo of up to 8,000 pounds into low Earth orbit.
The incident is the latest case of a Chinese rocket hurtling back to Earth.
A rocket launched last May scattered debris over the Indian Ocean. At the time, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson accused China of “failing to meet responsible standards regarding its space debris,” including minimizing risks during re-entry and being transparent in operations.
The remains of the large Chinese rocket were caught on stunning video as it disintegrated over Malaysia before landing in the Indian Ocean in July.
Witnesses initially thought a meteor was falling to Earth, but US Space Command confirmed the debris was part of a rocket.
NASA said Beijing had not shared the “specific trajectory information” needed to know where possible debris could fall.
It was feared that the debris could land in Mexico, but it ultimately landed in the ocean, causing no injuries or damage.
The rocket sped back to Earth over Texas, and defense officials are now reportedly searching an area of hundreds of square miles for debris.
An image purports to show the CZ2D Y64 rocket that launched in June 2022 and fell back to Earth over Texas on Wednesday.
The rocket incident comes weeks after a Chinese spy balloon was spotted over the US and shot down by a fighter jet. The balloon triggered a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Beijing and at least three more unidentified objects were shot down afterwards.
A fighter jet flies near the wreckage of the Chinese balloon after it was hit by a missile over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina near Myrtle Beach on Saturday, February 4, 2023.
The incident comes shortly after a fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon that was able to float for days across the United States.
The incident sparked a diplomatic spat with China and Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a high-risk trip to Beijing that was intended to ease US-China tensions.
Fighter jets shot down several more unidentified objects in the days after the balloon was shot down, including some thought to be balloons launched by American hobbyists.
