No Plan to Shoot Down Chinese Rocket—Pentagon Chief

A Long March 5B rocket, carrying China's Tianhe space station core module, lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan Province, China, on April 29, 2021. STR/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON—U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday there was no plan at this point to shoot down the remnants of a large Chinese rocket expected to plunge through the atmosphere this weekend.

The Long March 5B rocket blasted off from China’s Hainan island on April 29, carrying the Tianhe module, which contains what will become living quarters for three crew members on a permanent Chinese space station.