American space agency NASA on Sunday slammed China for failing to meet “responsible standards” regarding its space debris, hours after remnants of the country’s largest and an out-of-control rocket disintegrated over the Indian Ocean near the Maldives. The debris from China’s Long March 5B rocket re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere at 10.24 am Beijing time and fell into an open sea area at 72.47 degrees east longitude and 2.65 degrees north latitude, China’s Manned Space Engineering Office said.

Reacting to China’s space programme, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, “It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris.” “Spacefaring nations must minimise the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximise transparency regarding those operations,” he said. “It is critical that China and all spacefaring nations and commercial entities act responsibly and transparently in space to ensure the safety, stability, security and long-term sustainability of outer space activities,” said Nelson, former Florida senator and astronaut. “It is a great honor to lead @NASA, a can-do agency that accomplishes so much! I look forward to a robust future as we continue to explore the heavens,” he said in a tweet on May 4.