Debris from a Chinese rocket flying over the area forced a brief closure of part of Spain’s airspace on Friday, November 4. Air traffic was disrupted in several cities in the morning, officials said.

It was airplanes “completely” In Catalonia (northeast Spain) and other regions in the north of the country, it was suspended for forty minutes. “Due to the risks associated with the passage of the CZ-5B space object through Spanish airspace”, tweeted the Civil Protection of Catalonia. The same sources said that the partial closure of the airstrip started at 9.38 am local time.

As a result, not only flights from or to Barcelona, ​​the capital of Catalonia, but also flights from Tarragona, Reus or Ibiza in the Mediterranean archipelago of the Balearic Islands were disrupted, national airport manager Eina underlined.

The Long March 5B (CZ-5B) rocket was launched from southern China on Monday to deliver the final module. of a Chinese space station Currently under construction.

Debris from that rocket hit the Pacific Ocean at 11:01 a.m., the US Space Command said. In a tweet.

Dangerous fall

A rocket’s entry into the atmosphere creates great heat and friction, and the segments will then burn up and disintegrate, but larger craft like the Long March-5B may not be completely destroyed.

The danger is that their remains will land on the surface of the Earth and cause damage, even to the victims, although this danger is low, the planet is covered by 70% of water.

This is not the first time that China has lost control of a space object during its return to Earth. In July, The wreckage of a Chinese rocket It fell into the Sulu Sea in the Philippines, angering US officials, including NASA, who blamed Beijing for not sharing information about the dangerous fall of debris.

In 2020, debris from another Long March rocket crashed into villages in Côte d’Ivoire, causing damage but no injuries.

The Asian giant has been investing billions of euros in its space program for decades.