Tag: Long March 5B
-
NASA chief criticizes China for uncontrolled rocket re-entry
The core stage of China’s Long March 5B rocket, seen here before launch, re-entered the atmosphere over the Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean late Saturday. Credit: Xinhua NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Saturday that China is failing to meet “responsible standards” on space debris after a massive Long March rocket stage fell back to Earth…
-
Large Chinese rocket tumbling toward toward unguided re-entry this weekend
A Long March 5B rocket lifts off with the Tianhe space station module. Credit: Xinhua For the second time in a year, a large spent Chinese rocket stage intentionally left in orbit is heading for an unguided plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere Saturday or Sunday somewhere between 41.5 degrees north and south latitude. The heavy-lift…
-
Assembly of Chinese space station begins with successful core module launch
A Chinese Long March 5B rocket lifts off with the Tianhe space station core module. Credit: Xinhua Chinese officials confirmed the successful launch of the first element of the country’s space station early Thursday, laying the keystone to a permanently-inhabited orbiting habitat that could welcome its first astronauts this summer. The liftoff of the Tianhe…
-
First element of Chinese space station ready for liftoff
The core module of China’s space station undergoes a vacuum test to simulate the conditions it will see in orbit. The core module of China’s space station is packaged inside the nose cone of a heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket for liftoff late Wednesday (U.S. time), the first of 11 launches to deliver astronauts, supplies,…