BEIJING 鈥� China鈥檚 government defended its handling of a rocket booster that burned up over the Indian Ocean and said Monday it was unfairly being held to different standards than the U.S. and other space programs.
The administrator of the American space agency and others accused Beijing of acting recklessly by allowing its rocket to fall to Earth seemingly uncontrolled Sunday after carrying a space station into orbit.
The Chinese space agency said most of the 30-meter (100-foot) -long main stage of the Long March 5B rocket burned up above the Maldives.
鈥淐hina has been closely tracking its trajectory and issued statements on the re-entry situation in advance,鈥� Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. 鈥淭here has been no report of harm on the ground. China also shares the results of re-entry predictions through international
The rocket carried the main section of the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, space station into orbit on April 29. China plans 10 more launches to complete construction of the station.
Booster rockets usually fall back to Earth soon after takeoff. China鈥檚 space agency hasn鈥檛 said why the Long March was sent temporarily into orbit.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson accused China in a statement of 鈥渇ailing to meet responsible standards" in handling space debris.
Hua, the Chinese spokesperson, complained that Beijing was being treated unfairly. She pointed to the reaction to debris from a rocket launched by U.S. aerospace company SpaceX that fell to Earth in Washington and on the Oregon coast in March.
鈥淎merican media used romantic rhetoric like 鈥榮hooting stars lighting up the night sky,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淏ut when it comes to the Chinese side, it鈥檚 a completely different approach.鈥�
鈥淲e are willing to work with other countries including the United States to strengthen
The Associated Press
