A fragment of a Chinese space rocket fell on a village in India

Two specialists of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) studied space debris that fell on April 2 in a rural area in central India, near the city of Sindevahi. According to their reports, it was possible to pre-identify these objects, including a large burnt metal ring, as parts of the Chinese Changzheng rocket (translated as "The Great Campaign"). The official investigation will continue, writes Space News.

It is reported that the diameter of the metal ring is 2-3 m, it weighs over 40 kg, the height of the cylindrical object is about half a meter. American expert Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics also stated that the ring corresponds to one of the parts of the Chinese Changzheng-3B rocket. China has so far remained silent about this incident.

"They [two ISRO scientists] took photos and videotaped the objects and talked to the residents of Ladbori village," local activist Suresh Chopne told the Hindustan Times, an Indian English—language newspaper. — They said that these objects are most likely space debris — parts of the Chinese Changzheng rocket.

What kind of fuel was contained in this cylinder, it will be possible to say only after all this is checked in the laboratory."

"We were preparing a festive mass feast when a red disk flashed in the sky, which fell with a crash on a free area in the village," said a villager. "People ran to their homes, fearing an explosion, and did not dare to leave for another half hour." There have been no reports of casualties or serious material damage, but NASA has repeatedly criticized China for "non-compliance with responsible standards regarding space debris."

If the origin of the wreckage is confirmed, it will be the second time in less than a year when the wreckage of a Chinese rocket suddenly falls to the ground.

The previous one occurred in May 2021 — then a fragment of the first stage of the Chinese Changzheng-5B rocket with a length of 30 m and a thickness of 5 m fell into the Indian Ocean after many days of silence from China, which did not respond to a request to indicate the area of debris.

A year earlier, fragments of another Changzheng-5B fell on two villages in Ivory Coast at once after an uncontrolled entry into the atmosphere of the main stage of the rocket. In November 2019, the spent Changzheng-3B stage fell near the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, destroying a house.