The Chinese space station Tiangong-1 has finally fallen to Earth after much anticipation. Well, kind of. It didn't really fall in the traditional sense. It hurtled toward our planet over the central South Pacific but burned up during re-entry.
The experimental space laboratory entered around 8:15 a.m. on Monday, April 2, officials from the China Manned Space Engineering Office say.
Scientists had predicted the space station to mostly burn up and not pose much risk to people down on Earth. They were correct. So much for many reports indicating certain areas as being high-risks places for debris, including a report from CBS Chicago having alleged Illinois as a potential falling spot for Tiangong-1. Another report said it was going to fall in New Zealand. Yet another said it was going to release a dangerous chemical called hydrazine, which is highly toxic and flammable.
"Potentially, there may be a highly toxic and corrosive substance called hydrazine on board the spacecraft that could survive reentry. For your safety, do not touch any debris you may find on the ground nor inhale vapors it may emit," warned the Aerospace Corporation's Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies.
Tiangong-1
The space station launched in 2011 to carry out docking and orbit experiments. It was part of China's efforts to build a manned space station by 2022, but it stopped working in March 2016. Though the falling spacecraft did not pose harm to residents of Earth, BBC notes that it should have been obtained and de-orbited in a planned manner.
Thrusters are typically fired on large vehicles to try and push them toward a remote zone over the Southern Ocean. However, this wasn't an available method simply because China lost communication with Tiangong-1 in 2016. Different space agencies around the world have examined and tracked the space station by virtue of radar and optical observations.
Tiangong-1's last crew departed in 2013. Since then, it has been gradually coming closer to Earth on its own until its eventual fall over the South Pacific. The station featured two modules — one for solar panels and engines, and one for a habitable area for astronauts.
Upcoming Chinese Space Station
China is reportedly preparing for a more permanent space station. It is expected to have a large core module and two smaller ancillary modules, and will be in operation within the next decade. China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology's new Long March 5 rocket will do the heavy lifting to launch to core module into orbit.
