Il Chinese rocket ZQ-3 R/B, which weighs 11 tons, is in an uncontrolled fall onto the Terra. The event is occurring today, January 30, 2026. Initially theItalia had been included among the countries potentially at risk of impact. According to the latest orbital calculations, our country has then been declared out of danger. The developments of the matter are constantly monitored by the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking Operations Centers (EU SST). The rocket’s return window is estimated for 11:20 UTC today, 12:20 in Italy, whose time zone in winter is UTC+1.
The case of the uncontrolled re-entry to Earth of the Chinese ZQ-3 R/B rocket
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“Considering the inclination of the orbit of the debris, its re-entry could take place between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude, a very large slice of the globe that includes most of the oceans and of emerged landsincluding the United States and Central and Southern Europe,” the EU SST reported in an earlier statement.
The object weighs 11 tons and has a length of 12-13 meters. Parts of it, particularly those made of steel, could survive friction with the Earth’s atmosphere and crash to the ground. Specifically, it is the second stage of the launch rocket and is believed to have a “dummy payload” attached.
One of the countries threatened by the fall of the rocket is the Poland. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) has in fact been put on alert.
“Due to the estimated mass (11,000 kg) and unknown structure of the ZQ-3 R/B object, we note that it may not burn completely in theEarth’s atmosphere“, POLSA said in a statement.
“Fragments of the object could reach the Earth’s surface along its final trajectory,” he added.
The POLSA said its Space Situational Awareness operations center is constantly monitoring the situation using orbital data and optical observations from the POLON telescope network.
“The operators carry out observations whenever the object is within range of our operators telescope“, the agency said, adding that the rocket was observed transiting at an altitude of about 200 km above Earth from its POLON-Africa observatory in South Africa.
Italy out of danger
Initially, some Italian areas were declared at risk, namely the territories of Laziofrom the Tuscany and of theUmbria. The updated data then fortunately excluded our country from the areas at risk of impact.
In Europe they are at greater risk United Kingdom and Poland. The overall risk is however considered low.
Criticism of Chinese space agencies
International space agencies have criticized the Chinese authorities, accusing them of launching rockets without providing for the controlled return of the various stages.
The ZQ-3 R/B launch rocket, as explained by aerospace.org, was launched on 3 December 2025 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in the context of a mission organized by the private company LandSpace.
Getty ImageIn recent years, unlike in the past, the various space agencies are implementing strategies so that the so-called “space garbage” ends up in “Point Nemo“, a remote area of the Pacific Ocean where debris is diverted.
The uncontrolled returns are not triggered only by China. For example, the Hubble Space Telescope will return uncontrollably to Earth.
According to the NASAthe event will take place in 2033. In reality, the American organization had foreseen the recovery of the telescope, which should have been carried out with a Space Shuttle. However, this mission was closed and a definitive operational plan for controlled reentry has not yet been announced.
Source EU SST
