Has China lost control of its first space station?

Data compiled by an amateur satellite tracker suggests China may have lost control of its first space station – Tiangong-1 – and China might not be able to properly deorbit the space lab and bring it back to Earth in the ocean or in an unpopulated area.

By Craigboy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Thomas Dorman has been tracking the 8-ton lab since its launch in 2011 and his data suggest Tiangong-1 is in a slow roll, and that its solar panels are no longer oriented toward the sun.

Yet, other experts feel its too early to speculate on the issue. T.S. Kelso, a senior research astrodynamicist at the Center for Space Standards & Innovation (CSSI), said his data suggests that Tiangong-1 is dormant but stable.