Kyiv: A effective flash withinside the sky over the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday that precipitated an air raid alert become because of a NASA satellite tv for pc reentering the environment, town government stated.
“According to initial information, this phenomenon become the end result of a NASA area satellite tv for pc falling to Earth,” the top of Kyiv`s army management Sergiy Popko stated on Telegram.
The US area business enterprise had introduced in advance this week that a retired 660-pound (300-kilogram) satellite tv for pc could reenter the environment a while on Wednesday.
The RHESSI spacecraft, used to take a look at sun flares, become released into low Earth orbit in 2002 and decommissioned in 2018, NASA stated.
Popko stated a “brilliant glow” become located withinside the sky over Kyiv round 10:00 pm (1900 GMT).
An air raid alert become activated, Popko stated, but “air defence become now no longer in operation.”
Shortly after, the Ukrainian Air Force additionally stated the flash become “associated with the autumn of a satellite tv for pc/meteorite.”
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Speculation and memes abounded on Ukrainian social media after numerous channels published films displaying a effective flash lights up the sky over Kyiv.
“While social media is amused with the aid of using flying saucer memes… please do now no longer use the reputable image of the Air Force to create memes!” the Air Force stated.
In a announcement on Monday, NASA stated it anticipated maximum of the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager spacecraft to dissipate because it enters the environment.
“But a few additives are anticipated to live to tell the tale reentry,” NASA stated, including that the chance of damage to all people on Earth become low — about one in 2,467.