![]() She was contributing writer for (opens in new tab) for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. More technical information on the space station's orbit is available at (opens in new tab), including its perigee, apogee, inclination and period.Įditor's note: This story has been updated to include the latest reentry prediction for China's falling Long March 5B rocket booster.įollow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.Įlizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. In general, it appears the vehicle is bright enough to spot with the naked eye, but you might have better luck with binoculars or a telescope, especially in light-polluted areas. The website (or apps) by Heavens-Above has a list of passes of the Tianhe module (opens in new tab) tailored for your preferred observation location. ![]() On April 28, the rocket launched the core stage of the T-shaped Tianhe space station (opens in new tab), which will eventually include several modules. (Image credit: CASC)Ĭhina has been occasionally commenting on the situation in state media and in news reports, so keep an eye out in English-language coverage for any comments state officials may have.Īlternatively, you might want to look for the new Chinese space station that this Long March 5B helped to build. You can watch it directly from the Virtual Telescope here and on YouTube.Ī Long March 5B rocket launches Tianhe, the core module of China's new space station, on April 28, 2021. ![]() He's been posting several times a day about the progress of the Long March 5B.Īmateur skywatchers are also keeping an eye out for the rocket, with the Virtual Telescope's Gianluca Masi planning to broadcast live footage from Rome (opens in new tab) if the core stage is visible from there. More details about re-entry predictions are also available on its website (opens in new tab).Īnother Twitter feed to keep an eye on is that of Jonathan McDowell (opens in new tab), a well-known tracker of uncontrolled falls in the U.S. The Aerospace Corporation (opens in new tab), which supports national security space programs, posts regularly on its Twitter feed (opens in new tab) and occasionally on Medium (opens in new tab) about the core stage status. Space Command is updating (opens in new tab) at least once a day with the latest information about where the rocket is likely to fall, based on parameters such as how high Earth's atmosphere is billowing and how drag is expected to affect the massive Chinese vehicle. As of Saturday afternoon, it was estimated to fall in the northern Atlantic Ocean west of Europe give or take 4 hours. ![]() This reentry prediction plot by the Aerospace Corporation shows the estimated splashdown point of China's 21 metric ton Long March 5B rocket booster on Saturday, May 8, 2021. ![]()
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