Tiangong-1

Remnants of China's biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, with most of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere, ending days of speculation over where the debris would hit but drawing U.S. criticism over lack of transparency.

China launched the first module of its "Heavenly Palace" space station on Thursday, a milestone in Beijing's ambitious plan to establish a permanent human presence in space.

Billions of dollars have been poured into space exploration as China seeks to reflect its rising global stature and growing technological might, following in the footsteps of the United States, Russia and Europe.

A defunct Chinese space lab hurtled through Earth's atmosphere on Monday, breaking up into piece as it headed towards a watery grave in the South Pacific, reported AFP.

China's Tiangong-1 space lab will likely fall to Earth between March 30 and April 2, according to the latest prediction by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Space Debris Office in Darmstadt, Germany.

This window is "highly variable," not ironclad, Space Debris Office representatives stressed in the updated forecast, which was issued yesterday (March 21).

Debris from the Tiangong-1 Chinese space station is likely to fall between 42 and 43 parallel in the northern hemisphere, warns Holger Krag in a press release from the European Space Agency, reports Nova TV. This is expected to happen between January and March next year.