BEIJING, Feb 21, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - China on Monday denied responsibility
for a rocket set to slam into the Moon, after experts said the piece of space
junk likely came from Beijing's lunar exploration programme.

  Astronomers initially thought the wayward object was a chunk of a SpaceX
rocket that blasted off seven years ago and was abandoned in space after
completing its mission.

  But it is now believed to be the booster for the Chang'e 5-T1, launched in
2014 as part of the Chinese space agency's lunar exploration programme.

  The rocket is expected to crash into the far side of the moon on March 4.

  But China's foreign ministry rejected the claim Monday, saying the booster
in question had "safely entered the Earth's atmosphere and was completely
incinerated".

  Beijing "conscientiously upholds the long-term sustainability of activities
in outer space", spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing.

  China has set its sights on becoming a space superpower and took a landmark
step last year with the launch of the longest crewed mission to its new space
station.

  The world's second-largest economy has ploughed billions into its military-
run space programme and hopes to eventually send humans to the Moon.