ABC News Today

The uncontrolled wreckage of a Chinese rocket prompted NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to issue a statement Friday that was highly critical of the incident.

“Once again, the People’s Republic of China is taking unnecessary risks with the uncontrolled re-entry of the rocket stage of its Long Range 5B rocket stage,” Nelson said in a statement.

“They did not share specific trajectory information needed to predict landing zones and reduce risk,” Nelson added.

It was the fourth time a Chinese Long March 5B rocket has spiraled aimlessly toward Earth in the past two years, raising concerns every time debris touches Earth.

Nelson’s statement contradicted a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, who told Bloomberg News on Thursday that Chinese officials were “releasing information to the international society with an open and transparent attitude.”

The rocket booster re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the south-central Pacific Ocean at 6:01 a.m. New York time on Friday, according to the US Space Command. A second object from the rocket re-entered the atmosphere over the Pacific at 6:06 a.m., indicating that the propellant may have broken into two pieces.

No one appears to have been harmed by the falling debris, but Nelson called on China to act more responsibly in the future.

“It is critical that all spacefaring nations be accountable and transparent in their space activities and follow established best practices,” he said.

An uncontrolled reentry of large rocket debris “could very well result in significant damage or loss of life,” he added.