Russian Progress MS-23 Cargo Spacecraft Burned Up During Re-Entry in Earth’s Atmosphere

Astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) watched as a Russian spacecraft burned when it reentered the Earth's atmosphere. The Russian Progress MS-23 cargo spacecraft was loaded with items they no longer used in the station.

Russian Progress MS-23 Cargo Spacecraft's Reentry

The Russian Progress MS-23 cargo spacecraft took off from the International Space Station (ISS) with a cargo of trash that was no longer required aboard the orbital outpost. The spacecraft was specifically transporting "old equipment and household waste, or everything the experts have decided to toss from the station," Roscosmos astronaut Oleg Kononenko said to TASS, a Russian news agency.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli was able to locate and snap pictures of the reentering spacecraft as it burned up in Earth's atmosphere just four hours after it undocked. This resulted in some amazing pictures shot from the International Space Station.

"It happened faster than I thought and was only visible for about 2-3 minutes. It reminded me of fireworks, especially when it broke apart," Moghbeli wrote on Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter. "Thanks to those on the ground who helped direct me where to look!"

The post received several reactions from netizens. One asked if it was how "disposable spacecraft" ends. Several said the shots were "great." Meanwhile, another said it was indeed a firework, considering the colors reflective of variable material spectral signatures.

According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, most of the spacecraft and its cargo were destroyed in flames high above Earth, although part of the debris descended into the Pacific Ocean.

When non-reusable cargo ships leave the International Space Station, they often make fiery reentries. The Russian Progress capsule and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus vehicle, two of the three spacecraft currently employed for freight deliveries, are regularly disposed of in space once they have delivered their supplies, and space on the station's docking ports is needed for new cargo delivery.

China Slammed For Long March 5B Rocket's Uncontrolled Reentry

Last year, NASA and ESA slammed China after debris from a Long March 5B rocket crashed to Earth. According to them, the Asian nation failed to update where the debris would fall. Since May 2020, four uncontrolled reentries have been the largest in the previous 30 years.

In an email obtained by Space.com on Nov. 4, 2022, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson declared that the People's Republic of China incurred needlessly high risks with the uncontrolled rocket stage reentry of their Long March 5B rocket stage. The nation allegedly failed to share the exact trajectory data, which could have helped predict landing zones and reduce hazards.

ESA administrator Josef Aschbacher tweeted on the same day about the same issue. He said that the uncontrolled return of the #LongMarch5B underscored the growing threat that unsustainable spaceflight practices pose to critical infrastructure both in orbit and on Earth. The nearly 100 enormous chunks of debris that have returned to Earth's atmosphere over the past ten years have an average annual mass of 150 metric tons [165 tons].

At the time, a 23-ton piece of space debris from China's Long March 5B rocket safely descended into the south-central Pacific Ocean.

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