China expects Tiangong-1 space station to hit Earth on Monday
Beijing: China's Tiangong-1 spacecraft will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at some point on Monday, China's space agency says.
China's Manned Space Agency did not specify a time when it expects the craft to re-enter the atmosphere, the statement on Sunday said.
No one knows for sure where debris from the spacecraft may land and many experts believe much of the craft is expected to burn up during the re-entry.
China's Tiangong-1 is heading back to Earth although scientists say not much will survive re-entry..
Photo: CMSABeijing said on Friday it is unlikely for any large part of the craft to reach the ground.
Speaking at a daily news briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the government had been continually informing the UN space agency of the latest information about the Tiangong-1.
China had been responsible and transparent, Lu said.
"If there is a need, we will promptly be in touch with the relevant country," he said.
"As to what I have heard, at present the chances of large fragments falling to the ground are not very great, the probability is extremely small."
The 10.4-metre-long Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1", was launched in 2011 to carry out docking and orbit experiments as part of China's ambitious space program, which aims to place a permanent station in orbit by 2023.
The spacelab was originally planned to be decommissioned in 2013 but its mission was repeatedly extended.
China had said its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere would happen in late 2017 but that process was delayed, leading some experts to suggest the space laboratory is out of control.
Advancing China's space program is a priority for President Xi Jinping, who has called for Beijing to become a global space power with both advanced civilian space flight and capabilities that strengthen national security.
Reuters