Overview
- CENAP said the bright phenomenon seen around 17:30 local time was caused by a Falcon 9 upper stage releasing residual propellant.
- Reports and photos arrived from across northeast and southeast Germany, including Berlin, Dresden, Görlitz and Zwickau.
- Witnesses described a small point becoming a bright streak and then a diffuse cloud that moved slower than an airplane with steady light.
- The rocket lifted off about three hours earlier from Vandenberg into a sun-synchronous orbit on SpaceX's Twilight mission carrying small satellites, including NASA's Pandora.
- Investigators characterized the display as a routine post-launch effect of illuminated ice crystals from fuel venting, with no indication of alternative causes.