White House spokesperson Jen Psaki on Wednesday said that the US Space Command is tracking China’s Long March 5B (Chang Zheng 5B, or CZ-5B) rocket. "The US Space Command is aware of and tracking the location of Chinese Long March 5B in space," Psaki said during a press briefing.
Psaki emphasized that the United States is committed to addressing the risks of congestion due to space debris and growing activity in space. “We want to work with the international community to promote leadership and responsible space behaviors,” she said. “It’s the shared interests of all nations to act responsibly in space to ensure the safety, stability, security and long-term sustainability about outer activity.”
Psaki said cooperation is a hallmark of the United States' approach and Washington will work with international partners to address these issues. The core stage of the CZ-5B spacecraft is expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere between 01:11 GMT on May 8 and 19:11 GMT on May 9, over the southern part of the Pacific Ocean not far from New Zealand, according to reports.
China launched the Long March 5B carrier rocket with the main module for its future orbital station at the end of April. Tianhe will be the control hub for the Tiangong ("Heavenly Palace") orbital station. China expects to finish assembling its first space station in lower Earth orbit by 2022. Beijing has planned several missions, both cargo ship and crewed ones, across 2021 and 2022 to complete the complex and plans to officially launch the space station in 2023.
