Tiangong I space lab in 'stable' orbit

Senior designer denies Western reports that craft will crash land

The chief designer of China's space laboratories has denied Western media reports that the nation's Tiangong I space lab was "out of control" and will crash land, according to Science and Technology Daily.

Zhu Zongpeng, a senior scientist with the China Academy of Space Technology, which has built the Tiangong series, told the Beijing newspaper that Chinese scientists are constantly monitoring Tiangong I and will "make it fall back to the Earth" in the first half of this year.