On Saturday night, a 10-story Chinese rocket plummeted back to Earth. The rocket debris fell into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives Islands.

The uncontrolled re-entry was reminiscent of a U.S. commercial rocket that rained debris onto parts of Washington state in late March. As the Northwest News Network’s Tom Banse reports, that provided a great opportunity for researchers who are working to develop a space junk warning system.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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