Adam Burucki had an extraordinary Wednesday morning when he arrived at his warehouse in the charming Polish village of Komorniki, only to find a large piece of scorched rocket debris had crash-landed on his property. After being astounded by the discovery, he promptly contacted the police in the nearby city of Poznan, as reported by the BBC. Working in conjunction with the Polish Space Agency, known as POLSA, the authorities determined that the 3-by-5-foot object originated from a Falcon 9 rocket produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. Additionally, police mentioned that a similar fragment was found near the village of Wiry, approximately 2½ miles away from Komorniki.
According to a statement from POLSA, the rocket had been launched on February 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, carrying 22 Starlink satellites into orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket is designed to transport both people and cargo into space and safely reenter Earth’s atmosphere. However, at 4:46 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the rocket’s second stage experienced an uncontrolled reentry over Poland, as confirmed by POLSA. During this event, remnants of the rocket disintegrated into fiery streaks visible in the skies over the country, as reported by the Polish Press Agency and shared through social media.
Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, through his online Space Report, identified the debris discovered on Burucki’s property as a composite overwrapped pressure vessel from the second stage. This vessel is a robust container used to store helium gas, crucial for pressurizing the rocket’s propellant tanks and ensuring proper fuel flow to its engines.
UCLA astronomy professor Edward Wright suggested to The Times that a likely engine or control malfunction prevented the second stage from reentering Earth’s atmosphere in a controlled manner and executing a routine landing in the Pacific Ocean. He explained that most of the rocket disintegrated due to the intense heat generated by the friction of traveling through the atmosphere at 18,000 mph.
McDowell highlighted that this marked the fourth recent problematic incident involving the SpaceX Falcon. He expressed concerns to the BBC, emphasizing the potential risks associated with the increasing number of objects being placed into Earth’s orbit.
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In September, the Falcon 9’s second stage encountered an irregular deorbit burn, resulting in its landing outside of the designated area. The Falcon 9 boasts the impressive distinction of holding the record for the highest number of launches and reuses in the history of the United States. Since its inaugural launch in 2010, the Falcon 9 has successfully completed an impressive tally of 391 landings, as reported by SpaceX. Following the discovery of debris in Poland, SpaceX has not yet provided a response to inquiries seeking clarification on the matter. For news, features, and recommendations from the Los Angeles Times and beyond, delivered to your inbox six days a week, be sure to subscribe to Essential California. This article was originally published in the Los Angeles Times.
