The descent of the Long March 5B rocket has been labelled an uncontrolled re-entry by the US military, which said it was being tracked by US Space Command. However China's foreign ministry said most of the rocket debris was expected to burn up on re-entry, and it was highly unlikely to cause any harm. Debris from Chinese rocket launches is not uncommon within China. "The empty rocket body is now in an elliptical orbit around Earth, where it is being dragged toward an uncontrolled re-entry." It is one of the largest pieces of space debris to return to Earth, with experts estimating its dry mass to be around 18 to 22 tonnes.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 08, 2021 21:56 UTC