Debris from a Chinese missile is set to fall to Earth again at the weekend, possibly in Northern Greece or Crete.
The trajectory of the missile passes over populated areas of Greece as well as Spain and Italy
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it was a massive Chinese Long March 5B missile that had been launched on July 24.
The rocket carried a laboratory to the space station that China is building. The transfer was successful, but the rocket, no longer needed, is returning to Earth.
It is expected to fall early on Saturday, July 30, or until the afternoon of Sunday, July 31.
The EASA map shows the missile’s trajectories (in green) passing over populated areas in Greece, Northern Greece, and Crete, but also over areas of Spain and Italy (in red).
Because it is massive, with a length of 30 meters and a weight of 22 tons, it will not break up into very small pieces as it moves through the Earth’s atmosphere. The missile does not have a control system, and it is not known exactly where it will hit.
