On June 22, a satellite rocket was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan. Debris from the rocket was suspected to have fallen on a village in Guizhou, close to residential areas, causing panic among the locals. Some Chinese netizens have expressed that rocket debris falling near densely populated areas is a common occurrence around Xichang, and the exact impact location ultimately depends on luck.
User “Byron Wan” posted a video on June 23, claiming that parts of the Long March 2C carrier rocket, carrying a Sino-French astronomical satellite, fell into a village, likely located in Guiding County, Guizhou (video link). The video shows a giant unidentified object with yellow smoke trailing behind it falling from the sky, accompanied by a loud noise, and landing near the edge of the village, prompting residents to flee in fear.
A netizen named “南歸孤夷” shared a video on Weibo, saying, “They were out playing when suddenly they saw an object falling from the sky, emitting yellow smoke just before hitting the ground.”
Another netizen speculated about rocket launches, saying, “Based on the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued before the rocket launch, the estimated crash area for this Long March 2C rocket is near Guiding County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou. Apart from the inland launch site in Jiuquan, especially in Xichang, incidents of rocket debris falling near densely populated areas are common. The rockets launched from Xichang are mostly Long March 2 and 3 type rockets, which are not ideal. But for the time being, the Long March 3B cannot be replaced. The only solution is to wait for the development of reusable rockets in the future.”
User “雲星興” asked, “Aren’t the current predictions and controls of landing areas very accurate? It is rare to see such a panicky situation.”
The response from the rocket enthusiast, “星辰科研生產聯合體,” explained, “When NOTAM is issued, the landing area of the rocket is given as a square area with four coordinates. As for where exactly the rocket will land within this area, it all depends on luck. This time, the luck was actually not bad, at least it didn’t hit directly on any houses.”
The state-run Xinhua News Agency previously reported on June 22 that the Long March 2C carrier rocket, carrying a Sino-French astronomical satellite, was successfully launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, but there was no official follow-up report on the debris falling.
On the same day, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense pointed out that the People’s Republic of China executed the satellite launch mission with the carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan at 3:00 pm, with the rocket’s flight path heading towards the western Pacific Ocean from southern Taiwan.
Most orbital-class rockets are designed to ensure that their first stages, upon separation, either safely splash down in the ocean or land on the ground for potential reuse. However, Chinese Long March rockets often re-enter the atmosphere uncontrolled, causing concerns with each debris impact on Earth, as rocket fragments could potentially fall over residential areas.
Similar incidents of Chinese rocket debris falling into villages happen frequently.
On December 25, 2023, the China Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning, indicating that rocket debris would fall in parts of the South China Sea on the 26th. However, videos shared online on the 26th showed rocket booster debris falling in the living area of Tianlin County, Guangxi.
On August 9, 2023, a massive unidentified object fell near Taizimiao Village, Cai Chuan Town, Danfeng County, Shaanxi. Local residents reported a loud bang and shaking windows when the object landed, with many villagers rushing to the scene to take pictures. Chinese media outlet Sina News referred to the fallen object as rocket debris.
In a report on December 8, 2018, Guizhou media mentioned that at 2:23 am, the Chang’e 4 lunar probe was launched aboard a Long March 3B carrier rocket. Around 2:33 am, fragments of the rocket fell in Heba Town, Shiqian County, Tongren City, and Dawujiang Town, Yuqing County.