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The Chinese Long March 5B rocket currently falling back to Earth from space is expected to land sometime this weekend, 16 hours either side of 11:43 p.m. EDT, Saturday May 8, according to Aerospace.
The federally funded research organization develops tools for studying atmospheric re-entry breakups and modeling debris objects in space.
The rocket has made headlines over the past week because scientists are still unsure exactly where it will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.
This, coupled with the rocket's about 100-foot length and weight of around 20 tons, has given rise to concerns that some of its debris will not burn up on re-entry and could impact the planet's surface. It is thought to be orbiting around the planet at about 18,000 miles per hour.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly told journalists on Thursday: "We're hopeful that it will land in a place where it won't harm anyone. Hopefully in the ocean, or someplace like that."
The Italy-based Virtual Telescope Project has said it will host a live stream of the rocket's re-entry, starting at 10:40 p.m. ET on Friday, May 7, on its WebTV page. It added this time may be re-adjusted as more details about the rocket's orbit become known.
The Long March 5B launched on April 29 as part of a mission to deliver the first section of China's upcoming Tiangong space station into orbit.
After delivering the module, the rocket remained in space and its altitude has slowly been decreasing. Some, such as Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, have speculated China is not controlling its descent.
He told Newsweek on Tuesday: "I am basing my assessment on the fact that we are 2-for-2 on the Long March 5B not deorbiting itself."
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not directly discuss the rocket when asked about it in a press conference on Thursday. He said: "I would like to reiterate that China is always committed to the peaceful use of outer space and stands for international cooperation in this regard. China is ready to work with all relevant parties to make joint efforts for the peaceful use of outer space and safeguarding space security."
State media outlets have played down concerns, the BBC has reported, with China's Global Times newspaper citing Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, as saying: "Most of the debris will burn up during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, leaving only a very small portion that may fall to the ground, which will potentially land on areas away from human activities or in the ocean."
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese government for comment this week.
