• A 30-second exposure showing a Falcon 9 upper stage re-entering the atmosphere above Berlin, Germany, on 19 February 2025Gerd Baumgarten A 30-second exposure showing a Falcon 9 upper stage re-entering the atmosphere above Berlin, Germany, on 19 February 2025 Gerd Baumgarten A SpaceX rocket that burned up after re-entering the atmosphere unleashed a plume of vaporised metals over Europe, a type of pollution that is expected to increase as spacecraft and satellites multiply. • The upper stage of a Falcon 9, which is designed to splash down in the Pacific Ocean for possible re-use, lost control due to engine failure and fell from orbit over the north Atlantic in February 2025. • Read moreWe’re finally solving the puzzle of how clouds will affect our climate Read more We’re finally solving the puzzle of how clouds will affect our climate Advertisement People across Europe saw fiery debris streaking through the sky, some of which crashed behind a warehouse in Poland. • Seeing the news,Robin Wingat the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany and his colleagues turned on their lidar, an instrument for atmospheric sensing. • Twenty hours later, it detected a 10-fold spike in lithium, a key component of rocket hulls, in the upper atmosphere as the plume of vaporised metal drifted over it. • Atmospheric modelling suggested this plume had drifted 1600 kilometres from the area where the Falcon 9 re-entered the atmosphere.

Article Summaries:

  • A Falcon 9 upper stage that failed to splash down in February 2025 burned up over the North Atlantic, releasing a plume of vaporised metals that drifted 1,600 km across Europe. German researchers detected a ten‑fold spike in lithium in the upper atmosphere, the first direct link between a spacecraft re‑entry and high‑altitude pollution. The plume likely contained large amounts of aluminium, which reacts with oxygen to form aluminium oxide particles that can catalyse ozone destruction. Experts warn that annual releases of aluminium oxide could grow to 1,000 t, potentially enlarging the Southern Hemisphere’s ozone hole and increasing UV exposure.

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