DOWN TO EARTH
Satellite wreckage crashes down from space in horror fireball shaking houses with huge explosion in China
SATELLITE wreckage has plummeted from space and crashed in China.
The debris erupted into a huge fireball after landing in the north of the country.
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Dramatic footage shows fiery plumes of smoke filling the air.
Another clip shows baffled locals - dwarfed by the sheer size of the debris - staring at the smoking wreckage.
A resident of Taizi Temple village reported that the wreck fell at around 6.50am on Wednesday behind their home.
The giant remnants are still at the site.
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Witnesses said they heard a massive noise and their windows shook as the wreckage landed.
But the village had been forewarned that debris might fall.
No casualties were reported and an official in Taizi Temple village said that the satellite remnants did not cause any damage.
It's understood the debris is likely to be recovered and processed by the launch base.
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Officials said the site has been secured, and specialised personnel are dealing with the situation.
It comes after a huge satellite crashed back to Earth in July after scientists controlled its re-entry.
The European Space Agency's Aeolus satellite has been on a mission to map Earth's winds since 2018.
It was almost out of fuel and was initially supposed to fall back to Earth naturally.
The satellite is technically not designed for a controlled re-entry, so scientists had to try an unprecedented move with what little fuel was left.
The plan was for the satellite to reach 93 miles above Earth before the controlled entry would begin.
It was hoped the satellite would enter somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.
Then, it was supposed to burn up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
Following a huge round of applause in the ESA's briefing room, the that Aeolus landed almost exactly where they expected it to.
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