Where did the object that will collide with the Moon on March 4 come from?

The teleseries about the mysterious object that will crash with the Moon added a new and fast-paced episode, after the Chinese authorities completely rule out that the device belongs to the propeller of the Chang’e 5-T1 launched in 2014as recently reported by different media.

Last week astronomer Bill Gray first identified the object, attributing it to a rocket from SpaceX and reported the imminent impact. However, NASA engineer Jon Giorgini ruled out that possibility, pointing at the Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 rocket booster. Gray reviewed his calculations and agreed that the object moving towards the Moon was called WE0913A, that is, the booster of the Chinese Chang’e rocket launched into space in 2014.

“The object is as bright as expected, and has been shown at expected times and moving in a reasonable orbit,” Gray wrote. But in hindsight, he added, “I should have noticed that there were weird things.” Therefore, he acknowledged his error and remarked that this “only emphasizes the problem we have with the lack of proper tracking of these objects in deep space.”

China denies ownership of space debris

This seemed to solve the enigma, but this Monday the Chinese Foreign Ministry totally ruled out that statement, noting that the propellant accused of being on a collision course with the satellite “entered safely into the Earth’s atmosphere and was completely incinerated. Beijing “conscientiously defends the sustainability of activities in outer space,” said spokeswoman Wang Wenbin at a regular press conference.

An Elon Musk SpaceX rocket could hit the Moon in the coming months

China aspires to become a space superpower and in 2021 achieved the feat of sending the longest manned mission to its new space station.

The mysterious object traveling towards the Moon is estimated to crash into the selenite far side on March 4. (I)