China's experimental space lab ends data service

China's first experimental space lab Tiangong-1, which helped the country's scientists understand management of a space station, has terminated its data service after it completed its main tasks during an operational orbit of 1,630 days, it was announced today. The functions of the space laboratory and target orbiter have been disabled after an extended service period of about two and a half years, although it remains in designed orbit, according to the manned space engineering office. Tiangong-1 was launched in September 2011 with a design life of two years. More

(Source: Times of India - Mar 22)