A Chinese rocket weighing 18 tons just plummeted to Earth, as the space junk crisis hits a tipping point

[tacobell fan]

• A Chinese rocket that became one of the largest pieces of space debris plummeted toward Earth and landed in the Atlantic Ocean on May 11.
• The rocket’s empty core stage, weighing nearly 18 tons, is the largest piece of space debris to fall uncontrolled back to Earth since 1991.
• NASA currently estimates that there are some 21,000 pieces of space junk larger than a softball orbiting the Earth that can damage a satellite or spacecraft.
• Companies such as Astroscale and Northrop Grumman are seeking to clean up space debris.