Nasa said, “it is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris”.
“An out-of-control Chinese rocket that was orbiting earth has finally made impact on Sunday, landing in the Indian Ocean close to the Maldives.
“The rocket made impact at roughly 10:15 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), approximately two hours earlier than predicted.
Officials have said that most of the remnants of the vessel burned up during re-entry to the earth’s atmosphere.
The US military’s Space Command said the rocket “re-entered over the Arabian Peninsula at approximately 10:15 pm EDT on 8 May (0215 GMT Sunday)”.
“It is unknown if the debris impacted land or water. Operators confirm that the rocket actually went into the Indian Ocean north of the Maldives,” they added in a tweet.
The landing has been criticiced by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson who criticised China over the re-entry, saying spacefaring nations needed to minimise risk and maximise transparency.
“It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris,” he said, in a statement.
“It is critical that China and all spacefaring nations and commercial entities act responsibly and transparently in space to ensure the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of outer space activities.”
The Long March 5B rocket was around 30 metres tall and weighed 20 tonnes. It travelled at more than 30,000 kilometres an hour, and was more than 10 stories tall, causing many to raise concerns about the impact the landing may have.
The rocket launched a piece of the new Chinese space station into orbit on 29 April.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
