Metal pollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

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Such pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as space debris accumulates and falls to Earth A Falcon 9 upper stage rocket disintegrates into fragments in this image taken from Collm, Germany on February 25, 2025. A study of the sky at the time found the deteriorating rocket was releasing metal pollutants. Listen to this article This is a human-written story voiced by AI. Got feedback? Take our survey . (See our AI policy here .) For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of orbital junk: a SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the ozone layer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment. While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade.
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