Rocket elements over Alsace and Lorraine

Summary

On February 13, 2013, at 21:15, witnesses in Alsace and Lorraine observed a silent luminous phenomenon with a trailing streak in the sky. As it moved horizontally, several people, including six employees at the Strasbourg-Entzheim control tower, clearly saw it. Initially thought to be an unidentified object, it was later identified as a stage of the Soyuz SL-4 R/B rocket reentering the atmosphere. This rocket had been launched on February 11 to send a cargo ship to the International Space Station.

Low visibility in most of France, except in Alsace and the southeast, explained why the phenomenon, although spectacular, was not widely noticed. The case was classified as "A", meaning it was clearly identified as the atmospheric reentry of a large space debris. The data and testimonies matched the modeled trajectory of the object, closing the case with a fully satisfactory explanation.