Debris from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was found in Poland. Experts indicated that rocket parts may have also fallen in Ukraine, with the announcement that the rocket entered the atmosphere uncontrollably due to an engine malfunction.

In Poland, debris from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was discovered. Officials mentioned the possibility of parts having fallen in Ukraine as well. Around 03:30 GMT on Wednesday, a rapidly moving object illuminated the sky with flames in northern Europe. Simon Eriksson, a worker from Malmo, Sweden, describing the moment, said, “I immediately thought of a sci-fi movie-like attack unfolding.” Similar sightings were reported from Denmark, Sweden, and the UK. Experts explained that the event occurred due to the re-entry of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket into the Earth’s atmosphere. At around 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT), a warehouse owner in the town of Komorniki, Poland, Adam Borucki, found a burnt tank about 1.5 meters by 1 meter behind his warehouse. It was discovered that the debris also damaged a lighting system belonging to the warehouse. Borucki reported the situation to the police. During examinations with the Polish Space Agency (Polsa), the police determined that the object belonged to a Falcon 9 rocket produced by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. Police spokesperson Andrzej Borowiak said, “We are investigating how the object fell here, but the important thing is that no one was harmed.” Polish police announced that similar debris was found in a forest near the village of Wiry. Polsa confirmed that the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket uncontrollably entered the atmosphere over Poland between 04:46 and 04:48 on February 19, 2025.

ROCKET DID NOT FALL INTO THE PACIFIC DUE TO MALFUNCTION

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was designed as a reusable system to transport humans and payloads into space. However, an unexpected situation occurred this time. Launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on February 1st, the rocket was supposed to re-enter the atmosphere in a controlled manner and fall into the Pacific Ocean. Astrophysicist Dr. Jonathan McDowell from Harvard University stated, “However, this was not possible due to an engine malfunction. In recent weeks, we have been observing the rocket orbiting and predicting that it would uncontrollably enter the atmosphere. What people saw as a burning object in the sky was precisely that.” It was determined that the debris passed over the UK at a speed of 27,000 kilometers per hour, then moved through Scandinavia and dropped at a speed of a few hundred kilometers per hour into Eastern Europe.

SPACE DEBRIS RISK IS GROWING

Re-entry of rocket and satellite debris into the atmosphere occurs several times a month. However, these parts usually burn up completely and disappear. The occurrence of larger parts falling to Earth is a rare occasion. Dr. McDowell pointed out that uncontrolled large rocket debris could be dangerous, stating, “So far, we have been lucky and no one has been harmed, but as we send more things into orbit, our luck could run out.” The expert emphasized that incidents like this with SpaceX Falcon rockets have become worrisome, saying, “This is the fourth time recently, and there are signs that errors like engine malfunctions are becoming more common.” McDowell also mentioned that significant debris was found in Poland, but parts may have also fallen in western Ukraine.