Services check whether remnants of SpaceX rocket fell on western Poland
Poland's emergency services are investigating whether a fragment of the Falcon 9 rocket, designed and operated by SpaceX, fell to the ground near the Polish western city of Poznan.
On Wednesday morning, at approximately 5am, fireballs were observed in the skies of Poland as the remains of a Falcon 9 space rocket, burning up in the atmosphere after a launch, flew over the western region of the country.
The press officer of the Poznan police, Lukasz Paterski, told PAP that at around 9:20am officers had received information that employees of a company in Komorniki, near Poznan, had discovered on their premises an unidentified object resembling a tank. He added that no injuries were reported as a result of this incident.
Firefighters and law enforcement personnel from a mining and pyrotechnic reconnaissance unit were summoned to investigate the source of the discovery.
"We are securing the scene... explaining the circumstances of how this object ended up on the premises of the company. We know that parts from a Falcon rocket had flown over Poland, but whether this is part of it, we are not able to confirm at the moment," Paterski said.
Martin Halasz, the press officer of the local Fire Service, informed PAP that at the request of the police, a chemical and ecological rescue unit was also sent to the site to rule out the possibility that the found item posed any threat.
Later in the day, the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) confirmed the Falcon 9 rocket had burned up in the atmosphere over Poland. According to the statement, Falcon 9 was launched on February 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and carried Starlink Group 11-4 satellites into orbit.
Karol Wojcicki, an avid promoter of astronomy, believes the object found near Poznan is most likely debris from the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. He explained on social media that the Falcon 9's second stage was responsible for delivering a payload into the target orbit, after which it usually undergoes a controlled de-orbit. But the de-orbit failed.
The remnants of the rocket, which resembled falling meteorites, were visible in various parts of Poland. (PAP)
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