---
title: "Expert: China’s Disintegrating Rocket Debris Spotted in New Video"
description: "The disintegrating rocket parts left over from China launching the first segment of its new space station into orbit are now visible from the ground."
date: "2021-05-08"
modified: "2021-05-08"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rocket-debris-spotted-video"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "china"
  - "jonathan mcdowell"
  - "rockets"
  - "the digest"
---

# Expert: China’s Disintegrating Rocket Debris Spotted in New Video

![The disintegrating rocket parts left over from China launching the first segment of its new space station into orbit are now visible from the ground.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/long-march-5b-1.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://twitter.com/walidbarahmeh/status/1391214973272068097" target="\_blank"\>@walidbarahmeh\</a\>\</em\>*

## Debris Field

The disintegrating rocket parts left over from China launching the first segment of its new space station into orbit are now visible from the ground.

That's according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics who's been closely monitoring the saga of the leftover Long March 5B rocket, [which is expected](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-deathrocket-expected-crash-land-saturday>) to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere in upcoming hours.

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1391217569055580165

## Look Out Below

Pressed on whether the video was definitely confirmed, McDowell demured.

"It smells right to me, but I am by no means certain," [he said](<https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1391220385870450688>).

If the video is a fake, though, it's well executed — McDowell had [predicted earlier](<https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1391214827704627205>) that the debris was projected to fall over Jordan, where the footage was apparently filmed.

And another video, posted later, appears to corroborate that trajectory:

https://twitter.com/CYA90930064/status/1391221407053459459

## Rocket Context

The saga of the leftover rocket parts has been embarrassing for China, where leadership would rather celebrate the successful launch of the first portion of the country's ambitious Tiangong Space Station.

It's [standard practice](<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/08/science/china-rocket-reentry-falling-long-march-5b.html>) for launches to fire again after delivering a payload in order to push themselves down and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to widespread criticism of the launch.

One place the rocket isn't likely to land, [per McDowell](<https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1391041684667092993>): the 30 Rockefeller Plaza set where Elon Musk will be filming *Saturday Night Live* tonight.

**More on the deathrocket:** [*Secretary of Defense: We Will Not Shoot Down Plummeting Chinese Deathrocket*](<https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/08/politics/chinese-rocket-earth-reentry/index.html>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)