Philippines finds suspected debris of Chinese rocket after brief closure of Spanish airspace

Philippines found suspected debris from a recent Chinese rocket launch at sea off the two provinces, officials said on Wednesday. The officials further pressed efforts for the country's need to ratify two United Nations treaties that allow people to seek compensation for damage or injury from space launches from "a space object of another state".

Earlier, Spain had briefly shut its airspace in multiple regions on November 4 asremnants of a Chinese rocket passed by before hitting the ocean off Mexico’s coast.

Filipino space agency said the treaty ratifications related to unsafe space launcheswere a top priority and added it “would like to reiterate its sustained efforts to promote and encourage accountability among nations for objects launched into space.”

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The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) also said the metal debris found separately this week off Busuanga island in western Palawan and in Calintaan town in Occidental Mindoro province were highly likely parts of China’s Long March 5B rocket blasted last week from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on Hainan island. "The debris will be in the custody and disposal of the Philippine Government," the Philippine Space Agency said in an official statement.

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It also advised the public to immediately inform authorities of any sighting of the suspected rocket part and warned people not to retrieve or come in close contact with it. The rocket parts were found near seawater where the Philippine Space Agency had earlier warned the public the debris would likely fall. The agency said its experts had examined pictures of the suspected debris, including one that shows what appears to be a part of the Chinese flag.

Debris from past Chinese rocket launches has crashed down in the country’s waters in the past.

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In July 2022, fishermen in Occidental Mindoro province found a torn metal sheet showing part of the Chinese flag and identity markers of the Long March 5B rocket. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

The latest launch of China's Long March 5B rocket on November 4 forced Spain to briefly closethe airspace over its northeastern region of Catalonia and three other regions, causing delays to around 300 flights, as remnants of theChinese rocket passed by before hitting the ocean off Mexico’s coast, authorities said.

China has been accused of allowing rocket stages to fall to Earth uncontrolled. NASA had accused Beijing last year of “failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris” after parts of a Chinese rocket landed in the Indian Ocean last year.

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