Uncontrolled Rocket to Fall to Earth from Space: Location Uncertain

Italian astronomers have published the first photograph of the Long March 5B rocket, launched by China and now uncontrollable, on the website of the Virtual Telescope Project. At the time the photograph was taken, the rocket was at an altitude of 700 kilometers. Weighing 18 tons, the rocket measures 30 meters in length and 5 meters in width. It travels at a speed of 6.4 kilometers per second and completes an orbit around the Earth in less than two hours.

The rocket is expected to fall to our planet on Saturday, May 8, but precise location tracking is not possible. The US government has warned about potential damages. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China has insisted that most of the rocket will burn up in the atmosphere, making it unlikely to cause harm to Earth.