Scientists Are Not Sure Where Chinese Space Station Will Hit Earth

The Chinese space agency lost control of its Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace, spacecraft in 2016. This was five years after it was blasted into orbit, making China only the third nation to operate a space station after U.S. and Russia. The defunct module is now at an altitude of 150 miles and is being tracked by space agencies around the world. Its fiery descent has been predicted between March 27 and April 8. It is one of the larger objects to re-enter the atmosphere without being steered towards the ocean, as is standard for big and broken spacecraft and cargo vessels that are jettisoned from the International Space State (ISS), to reduce the risk to life below. It is unknown where it will land, though analysts have ruled out the UK. It is also unclear how much of the spacecraft will survive re-entry. China has not released details of the design and materials used to make Tiangong-1, according to The Guardian. However, the spacecraft may have well-protected titanium fuel tanks containing toxic hydrazine. These could pose a danger if they land in populated areas. Space agencies are using the event to test new tracking models and equipment, including radar, lasers and optical telescopes. Soon, they will pool their data in a bid with the hopes of sharpening their predictions of where and when the object will fall.