A report by NBC news indicates that a piece of a rocket launched by China in April 2021 is expected to re-enter the earth's atmosphere late Saturday, May 8, or early Sunday, May 9 according to experts and officials.
According to the report, the 98-foot-long 5B rocket is tumbling through space in an uncontrolled orbit at 18,000 miles per hour after blasting off last month carrying part of the country's new space station.
And while it's common for pieces of rockets to fall back to earth, this particular section has drawn concern because its lack of control means experts aren't sure where it will come down.
A photo of the rocket when it was blasted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the Hainan Province of China. Photo credit: VCG/VCG.
Scientists say the risk of it killing anyone after it re-enters the planet's atmosphere is small but not impossible.
Also, there is a tiny chance the debris could hit New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, or the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The experts, however, noted that it will more likely land in an ocean or the wilderness.
Recall that Nigeria's Defence Space Administration (DSA), a while ago, revealed that the country will adopt the use of space science technology in fighting insurgency - the biggest challenge of the West African giant at the moment.
The DSA noted that in contemporary times, science is required to effectively engage in warfare, adding that the Nigerian military will employ the use of space science technology to impact national security.
Meanwhile, Mad Mike Hughes, a scientist known for amateur crewed rocketry, died while attempting to launch his homemade rocket in Barstow, California last year.
Mad Mike crashlanded his rocket few seconds after takeoff in the presence of Science Channel production crew that was on-site documenting the launch.
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