Okay, California people, we need to talk about that insane light show in the sky last night. It turns out that it wasn’t a surprise that SpaceX launched. Nope, it was a chunk of Chinese space junk making a fiery return to Earth.
The blazing space debris streaked across the sky, turning night into day from Sacramento down to San Diego. People went wild, flooding social media with videos and freaking out to their local radio stations. Meteor? UFO? Nope, it’s just another case of space trash crashing and burning.
Debris from China’s Shenzhou-15 mission
The Aerospace Corporation and American Meteor Society, those space experts who track this stuff, confirmed the fiery object was the orbital module from China’s Shenzhou-15 mission back in November 2022. Remember that one, the mission that sent three astronauts to China’s Tiangong space station?
Apparently, this orbital module wasn’t built for a graceful return. Think of it as the disposable part of the spacecraft. So, when the mission was over, it was kinda hanging out in space until gravity said, “Nah, it’s time to come home.” Hence, the California fireworks.
Think of the Shenzhou spacecraft like a space apartment – the orbital module is that extra room for work and play, but it’s not meant for the bumpy ride home. That’s where the reentry module comes in, built tough like a cosmic crash helmet to bring the astronauts back safe and sound.
Of course, when people saw the streaking fireball, they weren’t exactly checking China’s space launch calendar. A lot of folks guessed SpaceX, especially since a Falcon 9 rocket had launched Starlink satellites just a few hours before. But hey, that upper stage doesn’t just ditch itself into the atmosphere.
Previous history of Chinese space junk
And if you’re starting to get a sense of deja vu, you’re not wrong. Chinese space junk has a history of dramatic, uncontrolled re-entries. Remember those massive Long March 5B rocket core stages? They’ve caused plenty of internet drama and had space experts rolling their eyes.
So, the next time you see a mysterious light in the sky, don’t automatically assume it’s aliens or Elon Musk. It could be another piece of space litter reminding us that what goes up must come down… eventually.
