Thien Cung 2 space station re-enters the atmosphere, being 'controlledly destroyed'

China's Thien Cung 2 space station entered the Earth's atmosphere successfully on July 18 under controlled conditions, it was destroyed and debris fell into the South Pacific.

This space station has completed the final test of Beijing's ambitious space conquest program.

The Space Station or Thien Cung 2 was launched into orbit in 2016 and returned to Earth's atmosphere around 21h06 (local time) in control, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office. (CMSA).

Some fragments of the space station have fallen to "predetermined safe waters" in the South Pacific.

China successfully controlled the Thien Cung 2 space station back to Earth on July 19.Photo: phys.

Xinhua said the space station has been in orbit for more than 1,000 days, much longer than its two-year "life" according to its design.

Zhou Jianping, the chief designer in China's manned space program, told Xinhua that entering the controlled Earth atmosphere marked all the planned tasks of Thien Cung 2. succeeded.

Previously, Thien Cung 1 station was launched into orbit in September 2011. However, it was almost completely destroyed in the process of entering the Earth's atmosphere and falling in the South Pacific region in April 2018.

Now, Beijing's resources will flow into the building station. This station will become the only space station in orbit, after the ISS (International Space Station) retires in 2024, though it will be much smaller than the ISS. ISS weighs 400 tons and is as big as a football field.

In 2003, China became the third country in the world to bring people to space, after the Soviet Union and the United States. Beijing sees this as a turning point that marks the size of a global superpower.