US Politics | Out-of-control Chinese space rocket CRASH LANDS on Earth after Spanish airports shut down over fears of plane smash
AN out-of-control 21-ton Chinese space rocket has crash-landed on Earth after forcing airports across Europe to close. The CZ5B rocket \- which had been expected to crash near Spain \- ended up in the North Pacific Ocean. The rocket crashed in the North Pacific Ocean ReutersPassengers were told to expect delays as Spanish authorities keep the airspace shut to track the rocket's trajectory '/ ' AFPThe rocket, pictured being launched on Monday, crash-landed off Mexico's western coast '/ ' Experts expressed concerns about the rocket crash-landing near a populated area like SpainTwitter China...s space agency confirmed the dodgy Long March 5B re-entered Earth's atmosphere at 6pm Beijing time. China Manned Space said most of the craft burnt-up on re-entry with the rest crash-landing in waters off Mexico...s west coast. It comes as airports across Spain were shut down on Friday and hundreds of flights grounded or delayed over fears of an incoming debris from a Chinese rocket re-entering Earth. The Spanish Air Force was scrambled while European space authorities and Spanish air traffic controllers monitored the 21-ton space junk's trajectory as it passed over the country. READ MORE ON WORLD NEWS CRASHING TO EARTH Out-of-control Chinese rocket lands in Indian Ocean as 'debris spotted' TOUGH TALK Russia warns 'UK is too deep' in war & claims it will share proof of drone blast Spanish air traffic controllers had warned the country's air space would be shut while officials tried to pinpoint the rocket and monitor if it would break up over the country and potentially rain junk on the ground below. ...It will take some time for normality to return following the delays. For security reasons it must be done progressively, ... authorities tweeted. A spokesman for Catalonia's Civil Protection Agency confirmed: ...Due to the risk associated with the passage of the CZ-5B space object crossing Spanish airspace, flights have been completely restricted from 9.38am to 10.18am in Catalonia and other communities. ...Airports and other organisations have already been informed.... 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China launched the third and final piece of its new Tiangong space station on Monday – and warnings had been sounded about the rocket's 21-ton body coming back down on Earth with Spain identified as one of the countries in its path. The module, which is as tall as a 10-storey building, was detached from the ...Long March-5B Y4' and is part of China's ambitious space plan to create its own International Space Station. Debris from the rocket was expected to break the atmosphere on Saturday, according to aerospace experts who are scrambling to determine its path back home. But that prediction has been moved forward to as early as Friday afternoon. It prompted pleas for further information from Chinese authorities. Gregory Henning, Project Leader at The Aerospace Corporation's Centre for Orbital Debris and Reentry Studies (CORDS) suggested that there is still too much uncertainty in the data and models to make a prediction. "As the rocket body's altitude decreases and the re-entry approaches, the window will shrink, and will begin to reveal locations that will not be the landing site," Henning told the Daily Mail. "But the exact location will not be known until it actually enters." It's not clear how many flights are affected or will be affected by ongoing delays as the situation gets back to normal. A spokeswoman for Spanish airports authority AENA covering the Balearic Islands said just before midday it was not yet able to offer information on how many incoming or outgoing flights had or would be affected. Spanish authorities shut down airspace above its airports as the space junk orbited overhead as it was feared any debris that ripped off may plummet down to the ground \- or damage flying aircraft. After lifting the restrictions, the country's air traffic manager ENAIRE explained: "With the non-controlled entry of parts of the object in the Earth's orbit crossing our territory, ENAIRE in accordance with the recommendation of the European Air Safety Agency and instructions from the inter-ministerial cell led by the Department of National Security, established a 100-kilometre air traffic exclusion on both sides of the orbit of the space object. "The non-controlled entry into the atmosphere of the large Chinese rocket was monitored at all times." This is the third time in two years that the Chinese space authorities have generated panic as a result of their rocket launches, which NASA has described as irresponsible. The rocket was scheduled to enter the Earth's atmosphere in the early hours of Saturday, but the impact has been advanced to this Friday before 12.30 noon. Read More on The Sun POUT OF CONTROL I love a juicy pout... I went from 0ml to a whopping 13ml over the years It is expected to fall into the Indian Ocean in the form of space junk without risk to the population. The rocket measured 17.8 meters, had a diameter of 4.2 meters and weighed about 23.3 tons at the time of liftoff. GettySpain scrambled its air force to track the rocket '/ ' AlamyDelays at Barcelona airport are expected to last all day Friday '/ '
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