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Updated 16:38 IST, February 8th 2022

SpaceX's Falcon 9 launched in 2017 disintegrates over Mexico in incredible footage; WATCH

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched for a mission in March 2017 met its fiery end after it disintegrated over Mexico in the later hours of February 7.

Reported by: Harsh Vardhan
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Image: @SpaceX/Twitter | Image: self

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched for a mission in March 2017 met its fiery end after it disintegrated over Mexico in the later hours of February 7. The rocket was seen entering the Earth's atmosphere leaving a trail behind in the night sky which was spotted by many.

This comes after reports have surfaced that another Falcon 9 rocket chunk is on a collision course with the Moon and is expected to crash on the lunar surface on March 4.

A Twitter post by Spanish-language feed Frontera Espacial confirmed that the meteoritic trail spotted in the dark sky was actually from the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket launched under the EchoStar23 mission five years ago. The account said that the rocket pieces completely disintegrated in the atmosphere before hitting the ground. Another Twitter handle revealed that the pieces entered the Earth at a speed of over 28,000 kilometres per hour and the atmospheric drag led to the disintegration. 

A report by Space.com suggested that the EchoStar23 mission was to launch a satellite in a geostationary transfer orbit at an altitude of 35,900 kilometres. The satellite is operating to provide broadcast, internet and other communications services to Brazil and will reportedly be operational for another ten years. Meanwhile, neither SpaceX nor its boss Elon Musk has commented on the incident, which definitely left the stargazers amazed but poses serious questions about the growing space debris. Check out other clips capturing the fiery display over Mexico.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 heads toward the Moon

A detached part of the Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched in 2015 but has been drifting in space now is likely to collide with the Moon on March 4 as per experts. The 4 metric tons rocket part already made a close lunar flyby on January 5 and is moving at a velocity of 2.58km/hr and, according to experts, will crash with the moon in a matter of weeks. Astronomers even say that the Falcon 9 is now a part of "space junk" to be the first "unintentional" case to hit the moon.

(Image: @SpaceX/Twitter)

Published 16:38 IST, February 8th 2022