On February 19, 2025, an uncontrolled re-entry of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's second stage lit up the skies over northern Europe, resulting in debris crashing into Poland. The rocket, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on February 1, left observers in Denmark, Sweden, and England awestruck. Polish authorities confirmed the presence of large debris pieces in Poland, with potential sightings in Ukraine.
The incident occurred at approximately 03:30 GMT, when the sky was illuminated by a flaming object hurtling through the atmosphere. Dr. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist, explained that these pyrotechnics were caused by the Falcon 9 rocket re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
"an uncontrolled re-entry of the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage occurred between 04:46 and 04:48 on February 19, 2025, over Poland" – Polsa
Debris measuring around 1.5 meters by 1 meter was found behind a warehouse in Komorniki, Poland. Polish police also reported a similar piece of debris in a forest near the village of Wiry.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets are designed to transport people and payloads into the Earth's atmosphere. However, the engine failure resulted in an uncontrolled re-entry instead of a planned descent into the Pacific Ocean.
"It was supposed to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere in a controlled manner and crash into the Pacific Ocean," – Dr Jonathan McDowell
"But the engine failed. We've seen it orbiting Earth for the past few weeks and we were anticipating an uncontrolled re-entry today, which is what people saw burning in the sky." – Dr Jonathan McDowell
The occurrence marks the fourth recent incident involving a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, raising concerns about the increasing frequency of such events. Dr. McDowell expressed worry over the potential dangers of uncontrolled large rocket re-entries.
"So far, we've been lucky and no-one has been hurt but the more we put into the Earth's orbit, the more likely it is that our luck will run out," – Dr McDowell
Witnesses, like Simon Eriksson, likened the spectacle to scenes from science fiction films.
"I immediately thought of a sci-fi movie where it looked like a troop formation about to attack," – Simon Eriksson
Polish authorities are currently investigating how the debris ended up in its location.
"We are investigating how the object ended up in this location, but the important thing is that no-one was harmed," – Andrzej Borowiak
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