Chinese space station lost contact, could cause major accident

Experts fear China is losing control of an 8-ton space station and it could crash to Earth at any time, causing a major disaster if it hits a residential area.

China's first space station, Tiangong-1, was launched into orbit in 2011 and is due to make a controlled return to Earth in the ocean. However, observers say it appears to be in free fall in space, with China losing control of the station.

This means that the Chinese space station could fall to Earth at any time. The China Space Engineering Administration (CMSE) admitted that the "remote connection" with the Tiangong-1 space station had failed.

Thomas Dorman, an amateur astronomer who regularly tracks satellite movements, believes that China has lost control of Tiangong-1. The fact that China has not publicly announced the safety of the 8-ton space station means that they have lost control of it.

Experts fear that China's Tiangong-1 space station will fall into a residential area. Photo:Getty

Like other defunct satellites, Tiangong-1 will break up and burn up as molten metal on its way back to Earth. However, experts warn of the possibility of a “really bad day” if the huge piece of debris hits a populated area. The heavy, high-temperature debris could cause serious damage.

Tiangong-1 is equipped with Earth observation and space environmental exploration. It has a wide range of applications and provides valuable scientific data for research on mineral resources, oceans and forests, hydrological environmental monitoring and ecosystems, land use, environmental monitoring at the heat control and urban disaster in emergency situations.

Chinese media have reported that Chinese officials have tried to contact Tiangong-1. However, there has been no word on the station's status in recent months, leading experts to believe it has suffered a problem and that the incident could be a test of whether China will be more open about its space affairs.

According to Zing