Uncontrolled debris from massive Chinese booster rocket could hit Earth within days

A Chinese cargo spacecraft that serviced the country's permanent orbiting space station has largely burned up on reentering the atmosphere, amid separate concerns over China's decision to allow a massive booster rocket to fall to Earth uncontrolled.

Only small parts of the Tianzhou-3 ship survived to fall safely Wednesday into a predetermined area of the South Pacific, the China Manned Space Agency said.

Until July 17, the spacecraft had been docked with the station's Tianhe core section and its return follows the addition of a laboratory module on Monday as China moves to complete the station in the coming months.