Part of a Russian rocket that launched into space late last month is now careening back down to Earth in an uncontrolled reentry.
Smaller debris is expected to mostly burn up upon reentering the atmosphere, but officials are not fully certain if and where larger parts will land, CNN reported.
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The Roscosmos space agency was testing an upper-stage rocket, the Persei booster, on the Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket for the first time, according to state-run news agency TASS.
The launch was initially described as a success by Russian officials, but at some point during the test, it suffered an engine failure that prevented it from reaching low Earth orbit, CBS reported.
U.S. Space Command said Wednesday it is “aware of and tracking the location of the Angara A5/PERSEY rocket body in space.”
The Aerospace Corporation, which conducts space research for the U.S. government, projected that debris would make its reentry plus or minus an hour from 4 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
Our latest prediction for the IPM 3/Persey rocket body reentry is 05 Jan 2022 21:17 UTC ± 1 hour along the ground track show here. Follow for updates: https://t.co/9jTFu58deY pic.twitter.com/nQWgVoAjVT
— The Aerospace Corporation (@AerospaceCorp) January 5, 2022
This is not the first time that debris from space activities has attracted international attention. In November, Russia conducted an anti-satellite test that created a debris field threatening other satellites.
In May, China’s Long March 5B rocket made an uncontrolled reentry, which landed in the Indian Ocean. In December, China criticized the United States after satellites launched by SpaceX allegedly had a close call with China’s space station.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to Roscosmos for comment but did not receive a response. Scientists estimate that 100-200 tons of uncontrolled space junk enter the atmosphere every year, according to CNN.
