China launched its first space station named ‘The Tiangong-1’ or ‘The Heavenly Palace’ back in 2011 as a part of an ambitious scientific project that could potentially turn China into a space superpower. This manned mission was notable for including China’s first female astronauts – Liu Yang and Wang Yaping.
However, it seems like officials may have lost control of the 8.5 tonne module after it reportedly suffered some kind of technical or mechanical failure.
“Based on our calculation and analysis, most parts of the space lab will burn up during falling,” the deputy director of China’s manned space engineering office, Wu Ping, was quoted as saying by official news agency Xinhua. She also claimed that its return to earth was “unlikely to affect aviation activities or cause damage to the ground.”
“China has always highly valued the management of space debris, conducting research and tests on space debris mitigation and cleaning,” Wu said, according to Xinhua. “If necessary, China will release a forecast of its falling and report it internationally,” she added.
