Tiangong-1 crash: Chinese space station could fall onto EUROPE and hit Italy | World | News

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The Italian Space Agency (ASI) cautioned on Monday there is a slim chance Tiangong-1 will plummet towards central Italy in the coming days.

Although the satellite’s final trajectory will remain a mystery until the final hours of descent, scientists are preparing for the worst outcome.

Following a meeting with the Italian Civil Protection Department, which prepares for and manages disasters, the ASI said Tiangong-1 could potentially crash around south-central Italy.

The potential crash landing zine stretches from the Emilia Romagna area and southwards from Florence.

Space boffins at the ASI estimate the Chinese space station will reenter the atmosphere on April 1 at 12.25pm Italian time – but the calculations are not set in stone.

Angelo Borrelli, head of the Civil Protection Department, said: “We have very limited time windows and so, if the final analyses confirm the possibility that fragments of the satellite could hit our country, we need to give the public the clearest information possible.”

The Chinese space station’s final trajectory will not be known until the final 36 hours before impact.

However the agency admitted the final crash landing zone might only have a 40 minute warning to embrace for impact.

Tiangong 1 Chinese space station crash ItlayASI•AEROSPACE CORPORATION

Tiangong-1 crash: The Chinese space station could potentially crash into Italy

Tiangong-1 Chinese space station crashAEROSPACE CORPORATION

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At the moment, the Tiangong-1 orbits over Italy roughly every 90 minutes, three to four times a day at an altitude between 220 and 220km above Earth.


We have very limited time windows

Angelo Borrelli, Italy’s Civil Protection Department


Once the satellite drops below 200km in altitude, tracking radars across Western Europe will sound the alarm bells before the space lab reaches Italy.

Thankfully the probability of impact is low – only about 0.2 percent.

Scientists have also underlined the space station will most likely disintegrate upon reentering the atmosphere, spectacularly burning up on its fiery descent.

According to the Aerospace Corporation, a non-profit space flight researcher, the probity of Tiangong-1 debris being hazardous is slim.

The agency said: “It is highly unlikely that debris from this reentry will strike any person or significantly damage any property.

“The only known case of space debris striking a person is Ms Lottie Williams of Tulsa, Oklahoma who was struck by a small piece of space debris in 1996 but was not harmed in any significant way.”

It added: “Due to the relatively large size of the object, it is expected that there will be many pieces reentering together, some of which may survive reentry and land on the Earth’s surface.”

Tiangong-1 Chinese Space Station crashASI

Tiangong-1 crash: The ASI cautioned of a 40 minute warning before impact

Tiangong-1 Chinese space station crashAEROSPACE CORPORATION

Tiangong-1 crash: The Chinese space station is expected to mostly burn up on reentry

The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates Tiangong-1 will crash land between the morning of March 31 and morning of April 2 UTC.

The ESA said: “Reentry will take place anywhere between 43ºN and 43ºS. Areas above or below these latitudes can be excluded.

“At no time will a precise time/location prediction from ESA be possible.

“This forecast was updated approximately weekly through to mid-March, and is now being updated every one to two days.”

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