'Due to the uncontrolled nature of its descent, there is a non-zero probability of the surviving debris landing in a populated area.'
And that could potentially end in disaster. Since the rocket stage doesn't have any way to change its own trajectory, it will simply plummet back down to Earth and land where it may — reckless behavior that has been"Due to the uncontrolled nature of its descent, there is a non-zero probability of the surviving debris landing in a populated area —
over 88 percent of the world’s population lives under the reentry’s potential debris footprint," the Aerospace Corporation noted in a TuesdayAccording to the Corporation, only 20 to 40 percent of the mass of such a large object is likely to make it down to the ground after its fiery descent. In this case, that'd still amount to several tons of metal.
It's not the first time China's space program has pulled such a stunt. Over the last two years, the country has already launched Long March 5B missions followed by an uncontrolled reentry on two occasions.
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