--- title: "Video Reportedly Shows Chinese Rocket That Smashed Into Earth" description: "A video reportedly shows part of China's Long March 2F rocket lying in the middle of the field, leaking what appears to be nitrogen tetroxide." date: "2021-06-21" modified: "2021-06-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-chinese-rocket-smashed-earth" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "long march 2f" - "the digest" - "Tiangong" --- # Video Reportedly Shows Chinese Rocket That Smashed Into Earth ![A video reportedly shows part of China's Long March 2F rocket lying in the middle of the field, leaking what appears to be nitrogen tetroxide.]() *\Image: Andrew Jones via Twitter\* ## Rocket Crash A [video]() shared by aerospace reporter Andrew Jones on Twitter shows a massive rocket booster, reportedly part of China's Long March 2F rocket that launched three astronauts into orbit on June 16, lying in the middle of the field, leaking what appears to be nitrogen tetroxide. https://twitter.com/DrChrisCombs/status/1405878559739158536 According to [a post on Chinese social media]() network Weibo, the piece landed in the Ordos, a highland basin in northwest China. Local roads were closed and people were evacuated to safe areas, according to the post. While we can't confirm the legitimacy of the video, it wouldn't be the first time a Chinese rocket took off to deliver crews or cargo to orbit — and subsequently make an uncontrolled return to the surface below. ## Uncontrolled Reentry The June 16 launch was largely successful, allowing [three astronauts]() to travel to the [first module]() of the country's brand new space station called [Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace](), where they're expected to stay several months. Just last month, the main core stage of the Long March 5B heavy lift rocket, used to [deliver the module into orbit]() on April 29, came [crashing back down]() to Earth. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. Other rocket companies, like SpaceX, have engineered their rocket boosters to make a controlled landing, allowing them to be reused. ## Casualties Despite the fact that the rocket managed to avoid making impact with any inhabited areas, experts are worried future launches might end in a disaster. "There is a real chance of damage to whatever it hits and the outside chance of a casualty," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, [told *Agence France-Presse*](). **More on Chinese rockets:** *[Oops, More Huge Chinese Space Debris Is Tumbling Back to Earth]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()