Space lab to finish its service in July

Tiangong-2, China's space lab orbiting Earth, will be safely removed from orbit under manual control after July, senior space engineers said on Wednesday.

Launched on Sept 15, 2016, Tiangong-2 has fulfilled all its planned missions within its designed two-year life span. It will focus on conducting experiments and testing new space applications that can benefit society during its remaining days, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office.

These benefits include providing valuable geological data for research and disaster relief, and enhancing local economies in Ningxia and Yunnan provinces, home to many sectors of the Chinese space industry, he said.