Chinese space station ‘full of toxic chemicals’ could crash on Europe this month

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Tiangong-1: Chinese space station could emit highly toxic vapours when it crashes to earth within weeks, scientists warn
Tiangong-1: Chinese space station could emit highly toxic vapours when it crashes to earth within weeks, scientists warn

An eight-tonne Chinese space laboratory is about to crash towards Earth in a fireball – and chunks full of toxic chemicals could hit the ground, experts have warned.

The massive Tiangong-1 satellite contains toxic hydrazine – and could come back down over Europe, experts have warned.

America’s Aerospace Corporation predicts it will re-enter the atmosphere in the first week of April, while the European Space Agency predicts re-entry between 24 March and 19 April, the Guardian reports.

The space lab could fall to Earth this month (DFA)
The space lab could fall to Earth this month (DFA)

Aerospace says there is a chance that a ‘small amount of debris’ could hit Earth.

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The organisation says, ‘If this should happen, any surviving debris would fall within a region that is a few hundred kilometres in size.’

The satellite could hit Earth this month (Reuters)
The satellite could hit Earth this month (Reuters)

The ESA says, ‘The current estimated window is ~24 March to ~19 April; this is highly variable.
‘Reentry will take place anywhere between 43ºN and 43ºS (e.g. Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, etc.).

Areas outside of these latitudes can be excluded. At no time will a precise time/location prediction from ESA be possible. This forecast will be updated approximately every week in January and February.’

The satellite was launched in 2011, lost radio connection with China’s space agency, and experts now predict it will re-enter the atmosphere within months.

The craft, whose name means ‘heavenly palace’ is now dipping into Earth’s atmosphere, and heading towards our planet.

Most pieces of space junk burn up on re-entry, but because of its size, pieces of Tiangong-1 might reach the ground.

Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a blog post,‘In the history of spaceflight, no casualties due to falling space debris have ever been confirmed.’

But experts have warned that chunks of the satellite may contain a highly toxic chemical.

‘Potentially, there may be a highly toxic and corrosive substance called hydrazine on board the spacecraft that could survive reentry. For your safety, do not touch any debris you may find on the ground nor inhale vapors it may emit,’ said a warning from Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS).