China’s prized Tiangong-1 space lab enters decaying orbit and is expected to fall to Earth in March – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

China’s prized Tiangong-1 space lab enters decaying orbit and is expected to fall to Earth in March




China’s Tiangong-1 space lab has entered a decaying orbit, and is expected to fall to Earth in March.

Tiangong-1 weighs 8.5t, and measures 40ft in length. It has been unmanned since 2013. Mission control lost contact with it in 2016. The reason for the malfunction was never made public, but experts believe the lab may have run out of fuel.

The space object is expected to keep circling Earth in an ever-decaying orbit until March this year, when it will enter the atmosphere.

Best case scenario, the lab will burn up completely on re-entry, but experts say there is a chance some debris may reach Earth’s surface.

Share this story

Tell us what you think on our Facebook page