A dramatic fireball was seen over European skies on Wednesday as part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage failed to deorbit as planned after its launch on February 1. The debris re-entered the atmosphere over Northern Europe and crashed in Poland, with locals sharing images of the incident on social media.
The incident occurred after the Falcon 9 second stage from the Starlink 11-4 launch failed to deorbit itself on February 2. It re-entered the atmosphere over the Irish Sea at 03:43 UTC on February 19 and extended its trajectory to Poland and Ukraine, where it crashed in Poznań.
The Polish Space Agency confirmed that the debris, weighing around 4 tons, was part of the SpaceX Starlink Group 11-4 mission, which launched from California on February 1. While officials are still investigating the cause of the incident, a second object resembling the first has been found in a nearby forest.
SpaceX has yet to release an official statement on the debris, but experts say that the company’s expendable upper stage is designed to be brought down in a controlled fashion shortly after launch. The incident highlights the growing problem of space debris and its potential risks to both people and satellites.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-debris-creates-dramatic-fireball-over-europe-crashes-in-poland