December 9, 2021

A Soyuz rocket booster reentered Earth's atmosphere over Australia on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The debris was spotted by multiple people in the state of South Australia, including those in the cities of Adelaide and Port Pirie.

The Soyuz rocket booster was part of a Russian spacecraft that launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 8. The spacecraft was carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station.

The Soyuz rocket booster typically burns up in the Earth's atmosphere after it separates from the spacecraft. However, in this case, the booster did not burn up completely and some of the debris reentered the Earth's atmosphere.

The debris was spotted by multiple people in South Australia, including those in the cities of Adelaide and Port Pirie. The debris appeared as a bright object moving through the sky. Some people reported hearing a loud bang or explosion.

The Australian government said there were no reports of damage or injuries.

The Soyuz rocket booster is the latest in a series of objects that have reentered Earth's atmosphere in recent years. In 2019, a Chinese rocket booster reentered the atmosphere and crashed into the Indian Ocean. In 2020, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster reentered the atmosphere and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.