European Space Agency has warned that ‘an out-of-control’ Chinese space lab is about to fall on Earth in a few days. European Space Agency (ESA) told CNN that it is monitoring its descent on to Earth. It has minimum threat to humans is what is predicted as of now.
You will be able to see some fireballs streaking across the sky ‘if’ the sky is clear that day. But it is not foreseeable at the moment where the spacecraft will fall, experts say. This is a rare phenomenon , it was in 2001 when Russian space station Mir fell on Earth (ocean).
In 1979, first US space station, the 74-ton Skylab, fell to Earth and the same year there were two more instances where a Skylab station fell on Earth causing no harm to human life, CNN reported. Tiangong-1 space station was suppose to enter Earth between March 30 and April 2 but ESA had warned that this estimate is "highly variable."
Now, it will enter between March 31 and April 4. The Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, is orbiting at an average height of about 216.2 km, the announcement noted, but did not disclose any re-entry location. It is impossible to name the exact re-entry location at this stage, a Chinese aerospace expert told state-run 'Global Times'.
The approximate re-entry location cannot be decided until the last two hours before it starts to fall based on international precedents, he said. During its extended flight, Tiangong-1 conducted experiments in space technology, space-earth remote sensing and space environment exploration, the office said.
China plans to finalise its space station to rival Mir, the Russian space station currently in orbit by 2022.
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With PTI Inputs
