Chinese Satellite’s Fiery Reentry Lights Up Skies Over Southern U.S.

The uncontrolled descent of a decommissioned GaoJing 1-02 satellite created a striking light show but posed no danger, experts confirm.

The defunct Chinese GaoJing 1-02 satellite reentered Earth's atmosphere on Saturday night, creating a fireball visible over several southern U.S. states.
Observers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee initially mistook the event for the Ursid meteor shower, which peaked the same weekend.
Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell identified the fireball as the remains of the 560kg satellite, which had been inactive since early 2023.
The satellite's reentry was uncontrolled and unintentional, with no debris reported recovered on the ground after its descent.
The event highlights the increasing frequency of visible satellite reentries as the number of objects in Earth's orbit continues to grow.