Launch of Chinese-French Satellite Scattered Debris Over Populated Area (spacenews.com) 45
"A Chinese launch of the joint Sino-French SVOM mission to study Gamma-ray bursts early Saturday saw toxic rocket debris fall over a populated area..." writes Space News:
SVOM is a collaboration between the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and France's Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES). The mission will look for high-energy electromagnetic radiation from these events in the X-ray and gamma-ray ranges using two French and two Chinese-developed science payloads... Studying gamma-ray bursts, thought to be caused by the death of massive stars or collisions between stars, could provide answers to key questions in astrophysics. This includes the death of stars and the creation of black holes.
However the launch of SVOM also created an explosion of its own closer to home.A video posted on Chinese social media site Sina Weibo appears to show a rocket booster falling on a populated area with people running for cover. The booster fell to Earth near Guiding County, Qiandongnan Prefecture in Guizhou province, according to another post...
A number of comments on the video noted the danger posed by the hypergolic propellant from the Long March rocket... The Long March 2C uses a toxic, hypergolic mix of nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH). Reddish-brown gas or smoke from the booster could be indicative of nitrogen tetroxide, while a yellowish gas could be caused by hydrazine fuel mixing with air. Contact with either remaining fuel or oxidizer from the rocket stage could be very harmful to individuals.
"Falling rocket debris is a common issue with China's launches from its three inland launch sites..." the article points out.
"Authorities are understood to issue warnings and evacuation notices for areas calculated to be at risk from launch debris, reducing the risk of injuries.
However the launch of SVOM also created an explosion of its own closer to home.A video posted on Chinese social media site Sina Weibo appears to show a rocket booster falling on a populated area with people running for cover. The booster fell to Earth near Guiding County, Qiandongnan Prefecture in Guizhou province, according to another post...
A number of comments on the video noted the danger posed by the hypergolic propellant from the Long March rocket... The Long March 2C uses a toxic, hypergolic mix of nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH). Reddish-brown gas or smoke from the booster could be indicative of nitrogen tetroxide, while a yellowish gas could be caused by hydrazine fuel mixing with air. Contact with either remaining fuel or oxidizer from the rocket stage could be very harmful to individuals.
"Falling rocket debris is a common issue with China's launches from its three inland launch sites..." the article points out.
"Authorities are understood to issue warnings and evacuation notices for areas calculated to be at risk from launch debris, reducing the risk of injuries.
Regrettable, but necessary (Score:4, Insightful)
China has no alternative but to accept this risk since they don't seem to have any coastline on the eastern side of their country which would allow them to safely discard boosters in the ocean.
Re:Regrettable, but necessary (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Regrettable, but necessary (Score:5, Funny)
Come on now, that's just crazy talk.
Re:Regrettable, but necessary (Score:5, Informative)
The reusable version will debut this year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
And since this is China no doubt they'll land it in a populated area.
Re: (Score:3)
There are at least two commercial rocket companies in China which plan to test reusable boosters that land vertically this year.
Re: (Score:1)
China's slipping. In the past, they would have stolen the vertical landing technology much faster than nowadays. I think the Chinese are slacking off.
Re: Regrettable, but necessary (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Or they could launch from the other 90% of the country that wouldn't put a town at risk.
Or hey, they own Taiwan. Why don't they launch from there?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Or hey, they own Taiwan. Why don't they launch from there?
I think it's because the intense sound and vibration would disrupt all the delicate nanometer-scale wafer fabs.
Re: (Score:2)
Makes sense. And crossing the straight with that much stuff and staff might be troublesome, too.
Re: (Score:1)
Lmao
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly. Glad to see you agree.
Re: (Score:2)
You obviously have no clue about what you are talking about.
Most of the time he doesn't, but in this case, it's pretty clear that his post was intended as tongue in cheek.
Of course, it's hard to tell sometimes on /.
Re: Regrettable, but necessary (Score:2)
I guess they change the rotation of the earth? Smarter than everyone else, huh?
Re: (Score:1)
Yes, I saw that in a Superman movie. They can just get a Chinese superhero to turn the earth the other way.
And no I'm not smarter than literally everyone else. Just you. Whoosh!!
Re: (Score:2)
Dude they have a massive desert .. the Gobi desert they could ditch their NTO/UMDH crap there. Or like maybe don't use NTO/UMDH? .. They have had enough time to develop alternatives.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah. Isn't it unfortunate that it is so far away from any place in China that has anything to do with space, and the roads in and out of it are so bad.
Re: (Score:2)
They tried. But they have less money today than US had in the 50 and the 60, and more population. So, tough luck.
Re: (Score:2)
They have *plenty* of money to build multiple massive infrastructure projects. Their costs are dirt cheap, they have loads of available workers than can quite easily forced/incentivized to do the work.
They also care far far far less about their population so even with the above, it's cheaper to risk the lives of the populace
Re: (Score:2)
They have *plenty* of money to build multiple massive infrastructure projects.
Largely because these pay off fast when there are many users. Not often spotted in the desert.
Their costs are dirt cheap
Their costs aren't "dirt cheap" and haven't been for a long while.
they have loads of available workers
For a launch site, the least you need is inexpensive and unskilled labor. Besides, literally nobody lives near the desert, and literally no-one will want to move there without compensation. I've been to Ningxia and seen it first hand.
Re: (Score:2)
Compared to the rest of the developed world? Their costs are dirt cheap.
"Nobody will move their without compensation" China has a few extra ways to motivate people than the western world allows.
Re:Regrettable, but necessary (Score:5, Funny)
*confusedly checks a map*
Re:Regrettable, but necessary (Score:5, Interesting)
To be clear: China's choice of inland sites was baffling to western observers, not simply from a debris standpoint, but also because they're so far north, whereas rockets benefit from southerly trajectories.
The decision dates back to Cold War politics. China was afraid of their rocket sites being attacked and felt that their coasts were too vulnerable. The modern Wenchang launch site however is coastal.
Re: (Score:3)
You mean they don't have an alternative like this one?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:3)
China has no alternative but to accept this risk since they don't seem to have any coastline on the eastern side of their country which would allow them to safely discard boosters in the ocean.
Except:
https://spacenews.com/china-co... [spacenews.com]
just new tech (Score:2)
Someone should have checked... it was probably just a delivery drone filled with pizzas.
Re: (Score:2)
At least that brownish-yellowish chemical coming out of the booster before impact looks more appetizing than a Dominos pizza. Those local Chinese residents are lucky.
Some of you may die- (Score:2)
In China (Score:2)
Debris = Propaganda opportunity (Score:2, Flamebait)
Re: (Score:2)
We also only hear about American/European launches when there's a fuckup.
What's your point?
Re: Debris = Propaganda opportunity (Score:2)
Oh, so this is a "fuck up" now? The framing I've read so far is that the location is deliberate and the people in charge just don't care if anyone is killed.
Yes, there is an inherent bias in the readers of /.. It's really quite irrational. China is just a place, much like any other.
Re: (Score:2)
I'd consider it a fuck up? but I'm not in charge.
Re: (Score:2)
NASA launches rockets with toxic oxiders and/or hypergolic propellants over populated areas deliberately, oumuamua? You sure about that?
Guiding County? (Score:2)
With the fuel exhausted, it was more of an Unguiding County landing, really.
Why is that toy on your head? (Score:2)
Because if I wear it anywhere else it chafes.