Out-of-control Chinese rocket is falling back to Earth

China’s Out-of-Control Rocket Set to Re-Enter Earth’s Atmosphere

The U.S. Department of Defense says it is monitoring the uncontrolled Chinese Long March 5B-rocket and is set to re-enter Earth's atmosphere this weekend.

A rocket core from a Chinese rocket launch site last week is now falling towards Earth, but although it was initially expected to re-enter the planet unharmed, experts say it is out of control, making it difficult to predict where it will come from.

The Pentagon expects the crashed Chinese rocket to fall out of orbit and re-enter Earth's atmosphere on Saturday, although officials say it is too early to predict where any debris will land.

The rocket was used by China to launch part of its space station on Thursday. Although most space debris can burn in the atmosphere, the size of the rocket, 22 tons, has raised concerns that large areas could cause damage if it re-enters and inhabits populated areas.

Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard University Center for Astronomy, said: "I don't think people should take precautionary measures.

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