KUCHING, July 31: The ‘meteoric’ spectacle witnessed by many recently was confirmed to be debris from the Chinese Long March 5B rocket.
This was confirmed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) today after continuous monitoring through the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) and a statement issued by the Chinese Space Agency.
“It is informed that the re-entry of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket’s debris into the Earth’s atmosphere has been detected at 12.55am, on July 31, 2022, Malaysian time,” it said in a statement today.
The ministry said the rocket debris caught fire while entering the Earth’s atmosphere, and the movement of the burning debris which crossed Malaysian airspace could be detected in several areas, including Sarawak.
“The burning debris has been recorded falling around the Sulu Sea, which is in the area between latitude 9.1 degrees North and longitude 119.0 degrees East,” the statement read.
Earlier this morning, members of the public shared their concerns on social media regarding what sounded like an explosion being heard through the night sky, followed by what appears to be a group of fiery entities descending in the upper Earth’s atmosphere.
Various videos have been uploaded on social media by users regarding the event. Some users even labelled it as a ‘meteorite’. — DayakDaily
