On February 19, the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket re-entered the atmosphere over Poland with debris falling out. The event caused no casualties or damage.
Falcon 9 was launched on February 1 from the spaceport at Vandenberg Space Force Base. It was used to launch another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. Generally, after the payload separates, SpaceX deorbits the second stage to prevent it from becoming part of the space debris. However, this time the maneuver failed due to the inability to restart the engines.
This caused the Falcon 9 second stage to enter the Earth’s atmosphere uncontrollably on the morning of February 19. Eyewitnesses in Poland captured the characteristic glowing trail left by the burning stage.
#Wielkopolska na drogach spokój, ale za to na niebie się działo… Przed godziną 5:00 takie coś pojawiło się na niebie – widoczne z okolic Poznania i nie tylko. Film: Mateusz Buziak. pic.twitter.com/SAoko5TR8C
— MotoSygnały (@MotoSygnaly) February 19, 2025
Subsequently, a charred fragment measuring 1.5 by 1 meter was found in a warehouse on the outskirts of Poznań. A few hours after that, a second object of similar size was found in a forest a few kilometers from this location.
This is not the first time debris from uncontrolled re-entry of spent rocket stages has been found. Late last year, a similar incident occurred in Kenya.
According to Phys.org
