After days of uncertainty, Chinese rocket reenters atmosphere over Indian Ocean

After days of tantalizing speculation about where it would fall, China's biggest rocket is back down to Earth. 

China’s space agency said a core segment of the rocket reentered Earth’s atmosphere above the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and that most of it burned up early Sunday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said reentry occurred Sunday at 10:24 a.m. Beijing time. “The vast majority of items were burned beyond recognition during the reentry process,” the report said.

The U.S. Space Command said it could confirm that the rocket reentered over the Arabian Peninsula at about 10:15 p.m. EDT Saturday, but that "it is unknown if the debris impacted land or water."

People in Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia reported sightings of the Chinese rocket debris on social media.

Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who tracked the tumbling rocket part, said on Twitter, “An ocean reentry was always statistically the most likely. It appears China won its gamble. … But it was still reckless.”

NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson issued a statement saying: “It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris.”   

Read More:  USAtoday.com

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