China's first space lab to crash back to earth
Shares
BEIJING- China's first experimental space lab is expected to come crashing back to Earth between March 31 and April 4.
Space authorities said that the space lab should burn up in the atmosphere.
Tiangong-1 has officially stopped sending data and entered its final phase of life on March 16, a statement issued on Monday by the China Manned Space Engineering Office said.
The Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, is orbiting at an average height of about 216.2 kms, the announcement noted, but did not disclose any re-entry location.
A Chinese aerospace expert told state-run 'Global Times' said it is impossible to name the exact re-entry location at this stage.
The approximate re-entry location cannot be decided until the last two hours before it starts to fall based on international precedents, he said.
