The wayward Chinese Space station,Tiangong-1, is finally set to re-enter atmosphere, with debris landing anywhere between New Zealand and midwest US.
A defunct Chinese space laboratory is set to become a “splendid” meteor shower as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere on Monday, Chinese authorities maintain.
Hitting speeds of over 26,000km an hour before disintegrating, the Tiangong-1 is expected to make an uncontrolled earthbound plunge on Monday Beijing time, China’s Manned Space Agency said on Sunday – an estimate roughly in line with European Space Agency projections.
The Manned Space Agency did not specify a time when it expects the craft to enter the atmosphere.
South Korea’s National Space Situational Awareness Organisation said on Sunday the 10.4-metre-long (34-foot) station is expected to re-enter the atmosphere some time between 5:12 am and 1:12 pm Seoul time on Monday (between 1:12 pm and 9:12 pm Eastern Time on Sunday).
The debris from the abandoned eight-tonne craft could land anywhere between the latitudes of 43 degrees north and 43 degrees south – from New Zealand to the American midwest, the ESA said.
Many experts believe much of the station will burn up during re-entry. Beijing said on Friday that it is unlikely any large pieces will reach the ground.
There is “no need for people to worry”, the China Manned Space Engineering Office said on its WeChat social media account.
China had said its re-entry would occur in late 2017 but that process was delayed, leading some experts to suggest the space laboratory is out of control. Chinese media has downplayed these comments, saying the reports are an invention of the foreign media.
On Chinese social media, however, commenters criticised the government’s reluctance to own up to the situation.
“Can you or can’t you report that you’ve lost control of the situation?” one commenter wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo. “It’s not unusual that something this complicated would have a mishap.”
Article Source: The Guardian
