Scientists unsure where Chinese space station will crash to Earth

Defunct module expected to scatter debris over thousands of kilometres in fiery descent

It launched as a potent symbol of Chinese ambitions in space, but in the coming weeks the nation's first orbital outpost will come crashing down to Earth in a fireball that could scatter debris over thousands of kilometres.

The Chinese space agency lost control of its Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace, spacecraft in 2016, five years after it blasted into orbit to make China only the third nation to operate a space station after the US and Russia.