More Chinese Rocket Debris Washes Up in the Philippines

China's Long March rocket program has a launch site on Hainan Island, and a history of dropping debris over the South China Sea. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, more waste from a Chinese booster rocket has washed up on an island in the Taiwan Strait, and it has been recovered for analysis.

On Sunday, local residents were walking on the shore near Minabel, a town on the north side of Camiguin Island. They spotted metallic debris on the shore and stopped to investigate. The local Philippine Coast Guard station (and other agencies) responded to the scene to recover the waste, which appears to be panel sections from the exterior of a booster rocket.

As in previous cases, the PCG advised local residents not to touch any related debris because of the potential risk of chemical exposure: the rocket fuel used in some Chinese booster designs is known to be toxic.

It is the latest in a long run of Chinese rocket debris finds in the Philippines, and is a product of the design and operation of China's orbital launch rockets. Previous debris finds in the Philippines included a large panel that was found off Occidental Mindoro, likely from a Long March 7 launch in July. There may be more coming: another Long March rocket was launched on November 3 and likely dropped its booster debris in the water about 75 nm to the east of Camiguin Island, according to the Philippine Space Agency.

"While not projected to fall on land features or inhabited areas, falling debris poses danger and potential risk to ships, aircraft, fishing boats, and other vessels that will pass through the drop zone," the Philippine Space Agency warned.

Overseas space agencies perceive the greatest hazards from from the occasional launches of the Long March 5B. This rocket's big first stage booster goes into orbit as a single piece, but lacks any capability for controlled reentry when it comes back down. The entire booster de-orbits in an uncontrolled manner, breaks up and scatters debris over a wide area. The practice has attracted criticism from NASA, as the uncontrolled-reentry method is seen as risky and is no longer done in the West.