Chinese missile launchers could hit near New Zealand

According to Chinese authorities, most of the missile will burn out once it enters the atmosphere again and may not cause any damage. The statement came after the United States described the re-entry as “uncensored” and considered an attempt to destroy the remains.

The US Space Research Organization Cords, which studies space debris and how to avoid collisions, estimates that the used missile penetrates the atmosphere during an eight-hour time window on both sides at 06.19 a.m. on Sunday, Swedish time.

“An informed guess” is The site of impact would be near New Zealand’s northern main island, but according to the organization, large parts of the globe are possible as an impact site.

Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell at Harvard University previously told Reuters that there was a risk that parts of the missile would have fallen, possibly in populated areas. It happened with a similar missile in May 2020, when a missile remnant destroyed several buildings in Ivory Coast.

The Chinese state controls The Global Times reported that there is no reason to panic or believe that the missile will hit populated areas, and the newspaper quoted Chinese space experts as saying that the remnants of the missile “is likely” to fall into international waters.

It is a Long March 5B missile and is now on the verge of collapse after placing part of a planned Chinese space station in Earth orbit. The missile was launched on April 29.

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