Returned To Earth Sunday, Posed No Threat To Populated Areas

The Tiangong-1 Chinese space station reentered the Earth's atmosphere at about 8:16 EDT Sunday over the South Pacific ocean, according to the U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Force Space Component Command (JFSCC).

"The JFSCC used the Space Surveillance Network sensors and their orbital analysis system to confirm Tiangong-1's reentry," U.S. Air Force officials wrote in a statement.

Space.com reports that while some pieces of the prototype space station launched by China in 2011 likely survived reentry, they likely did not cause any damage as they impacted the planet.

The reentry was tracked by the JFSCC and other, private organizations, according to the report.

The JFSCC works alongside government, industry and international partners to track and report reentries, to include today’s Tinagong-1 reentry, because the space domain is vital to our shared international security interests," JFSCC deputy commander Maj. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of the 14th Air Force, said in the JFSCC statement. "One of our missions, which we remain focused on, is to monitor space and the tens of thousands of pieces of debris that congest it, while at the same time working with allies and partners to enhance spaceflight safety and increase transparency in the space domain."

Tiangong-2, was launched to Earth orbit in September 2016. A month later, three Chinese astronauts visited the station.

(Image from animation created by Analytical Graphics (AGI) released for media use)

FMI: Original report, agi.com