China paints US skies with a mysterious white streak, baffles onlookers

Economic Times

20-05-2025

A powerful geomagnetic storm created stunning auroras in the American Southwest on May 17, 2025. Amidst this spectacle, a bright streak appeared, initially mistaken for an atmospheric event. It was later identified as a plume from a recent Chinese rocket launch, highlighting concerns about space debris and the need for global cooperation in space activities.
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The White Streak: What Actually Occurred
The Actual Reason: A Recent Launch By China
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China's Growing Space Program and Global Concerns
A powerful and unusual geomagnetic storm on the evening of May 17, 2025, courtesy of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun painted the American Southwest skies in brilliant auroras. The storm was so powerful it extended the auroral oval far further south than is normal, enabling residents of states such as Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico to be treated to sheer curtains of red and green light flashing across the nighttime sky.In the midst of this natural wonder, a bright, white streak zoomed across the sky, fascinating sky observers and generating far-reaching speculation. Some initially thought it was STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), an atmospheric event. Yet authorities soon established that the streak was neither STEVE nor an ordinary auroral feature.The actual reason, as stated by SpaceWeather.com and other accounts, was associated with a recent Chinese rocket flight. About an hour before the streak slid in the night sky, the Chinese firm Landscape had sent its Zhuque-2E methane-burning rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Site 96 in China. Six satellites were launched into orbit on this mission, including a radar satellite and a space science payload.The white streak seen streaking across the U.S. was probably due to a de-orbit or circularization burn. These kinds of burns can leave dramatic, glowing plumes visible across great distances, particularly when they are caught in sunlight at high altitudes.China's space program is expanding steadily, with regular launches and complex missions. Though impressive, these developments also undermine the problems of space debris accumulation and risks posed by rocket stages and other equipment re-entering the atmosphere or making burns over populated regions.Previous incidents, such as the 2023 re-entry and burning up of a Chinese rocket over Nepal, have drawn international attention and criticism, emphasizing the need for greater transparency and global cooperation in space activities.The ghostly white trail across the U.S. Southwest was no atmospheric wonder, but the evident mark of a recent Chinese rocket. This phenomenon, against the background of a magnificent geomagnetic storm, highlights the interdependency of human space operations and natural astrophysical events.With China and other countries pushing deeper into space, incidents such as this bring into focus the need for global cooperation and effective space traffic control in order to protect the safety of missions in space and terrestrial life.