On June 22, 2024, at 4 AM Brasilia time, China successfully launched its Long March 2C rocket, carrying the Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) X-ray telescope. The launch, aimed at enhancing the country’s astronomical observation capabilities, proceeded smoothly until the rocket stages reentered the Earth’s atmosphere.
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Videos posted on social media show the alleged moment when debris from the Long March 2C rocket fell over a populated area, raising concerns due to the dangerous chemical composition of the fuel used.
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The Long March 2C employs a toxic and hypergolic mixture of nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH). The presence of brownish-red gas or booster smoke indicates nitrogen tetroxide, while a yellowish gas may result from hydrazine reacting with the air.
Contact with remaining fuel or oxidizer from the rocket stages can be extremely harmful to exposed individuals. Local authorities were alerted, and emergency teams were dispatched to isolate the affected area and conduct necessary decontamination.
The public was advised to avoid contact with any suspicious material and to report immediately any signs of exposure to toxic vapors.
Photo and video: Twitter @sentdefender. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team