Antonio Manaytay – Fourth Estate Contributor
Paris, France (4E) – Instead of a controlled and guided re-entry to Earth, the 8.5-ton Tiangong-1 space lab would be coming home with some of its fragments reaching the ground early next year.
Scientists at the European Space Agency said the hope for a controlled re-entry was lost as the orbiting satellite had lost contact with China’s space agency.
It was not yet clear where the chunks of the Chinese satellite would land. ESA scientists could only offer estimates where satellite’s fragments might hit.
Although most of the massive satellite would burn up upon re-entry due to friction, scientists said some of its fragments could still reach the ground.
ESA said the massive Chinese space lab had already dipped the atmosphere. It is expected to complete the fall between January and March next year.
The fragments are likely to hit no more than “43 degrees North or further south than 43 degrees South.” This after ESA scientists had taken into consideration the “geometry of the station’s orbit.” Several European countries are on the list.
“This means that re-entry may take place over any spot on Earth between these latitudes,” ESA Space Debris Office chief Holger Krag said.
“The date, time and geographic footprint of the re-entry can only be predicted with large uncertainties,” he said.
Meantime, ESA is organizing a campaign to closely monitor and track the falling space station in order to mitigate its impact.
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