Debris from a communication device ejected from the International Space Station (ISS) traveled at a speed of 27,358 km/h, creating bright streaks across the sky in northern California.
Debris flying across the California sky on March 17. (Photo: AP).
The streaks of light observed in the night sky over California on March 17 were the result of the re-entry of burning space debris. The wreckage of the communication device, which was ejected from the ISS in February 2020, was traveling at over 27,000 km/h, according to Jonathan McDowell, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The device’s orbit has gradually decayed over the past two years until it became low enough to break apart and ignite.
“What you’re seeing are some very small pieces releasing a lot of energy at a very high altitude and moving extremely fast,” McDowell explained.
The 318 kg used antenna, named the Inter-orbit Communication System-Exposed Facility, was sent into space aboard a shuttle in 2009. About 10% of such devices may fall to Earth in small pieces rather than melting, according to McDowell. The re-entry of the device occurs in an uncontrolled manner, meaning experts cannot accurately predict where the object will land. McDowell predicted that the debris would likely fall around Yosemite National Park. In contrast, the landing site of a controlled re-entry device can be pinpointed using rocket engines.
A large antenna-sized device falls through the Earth’s atmosphere every few weeks. This process does not occur regularly in a fixed location, making it always a novel sight for observers.
On social media, King Cong Brewing, a brewery in Sacramento, shared a video capturing the spectacle. The debris falling through the night sky created a light display that attracted many onlookers, according to Moriba Jah, an associate professor of aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Texas, Austin. However, as the device ignites, it can pollute the stratosphere. When it falls to the Earth’s surface, it also contaminates oceans and land, potentially injuring people.
Privateer, a company co-founded by Jah, tracks around 48,000 artificial objects ranging from small items like mobile phones to the ISS. Only about 10% of these are still operational; the rest is space debris.
