US EditionEmergency Alert Prepared for UK as Brits Brace for Mobile Phone Warning Message
UK officials directed telecom firms to test emergency alerts amid low but uncertain risk from 11-ton rocket debris, with 70 monthly space debris events typical, experts said.
- On January 30, 2026, mobile network operators were ordered to confirm the UK's emergency alert system is operational ahead of the ZQ-3 R/B second stage's expected re-entry over Europe around 11:20 UTC ± 48 minutes.
- Following the December 3, 2025 launch, EU Space Surveillance and Tracking and Finnish Meteorological Institute are monitoring the Zhuque-3 Y1 mission's re-entry, noting a possible `dummy payload` aboard.
- Weighing about 11 tonnes and measuring 12–13 m, the ZQ-3 R/B second stage was captured at ~280 km on January 28, 2026, and EU Space Surveillance and Tracking assesses re-entry will begin around 80 km.
- Professor Hugh Lewis said the rocket is most likely to pass over Northern Ireland, northern Scotland or northern England, while Britain's emergency preparedness teams prepare local alerts and NOTAM/AIS notices.
- In an unusual move, Whitehall told telecommunications firms to re-check alert infrastructure as a UK government spokesperson said it was extremely unlikely debris would enter British airspace, noting such events happen about 70 times a month while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is in China.
62 Articles
62 Articles
UK monitors emergency systems during Chinese rocket debris re-entry
The United Kingdom tested its emergency alert system on Friday after fragments of a Chinese rocket booster were predicted to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. Officials emphasised that the debris posed no threat to the UK, and the system check was purely precautionary. The rocket stage eventually re-entered safely over the southern Pacific Ocean, far from Europe, with no reported damage or injuries. Source
Europe faces the uncontrollable return to the atmosphere of the second element of the Chinese rocket ZQ-3 R/B (Zhuque-3), launched in December 2025 by the LandSpace private company. The second step of the Chinese rocket launched in space is...
The United Kingdom has asked the operators of the telephone service to review their alert system and verify that it is operational in the face of fear that remnants of a Chinese rocket might fall on the country this Friday.The British Government is monitoring the fragments of the rocket, according to the newspaper The Telegraph.In case the fragments of the Zhuque-3 rocket — which was launched in December and exploded after losing an engine — wou…
The remains of a Chinese rocket that has been out of control in space since December appear to be crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
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