Most of the 18-ton fragment of the Long March-5b rocket – used to launch the first module of China’s new space station last month – disintegrated as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean at the weekend, but some parts came down near the Maldives.
Chinese state media said parts of the rocket re-entered the atmosphere at 2.24am (GMT) yesterday.
According to the BBC, US and European tracking sites had been monitoring the uncontrolled fall of the Long March-5b vehicle, described as one of the largest items in decades to have an undirected dive into the atmosphere.
Originally injected into an elliptical orbit approximately 160km by 375km above Earth’s surface on 29 April, the Long March-5b segment had been losing height ever since.
Ahead of the rocket’s re-entry there were fears that debris could come down in an inhabited area. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said China had been negligent in letting the rocket fall out of orbit.