Kyiv: A powerful light flashed in the sky of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday. The unusual light made the locals wary. Then the inspection began in the airspace of Ukraine.
But the explanation given by the Kiev military authorities is that it was a NASA satellite that fell to Earth and caught fire when it entered the atmosphere.
NASA had warned of such a possibility earlier this week. NASA said the 300-kilogram satellite is falling to Earth after completing its life cycle and is likely to enter the atmosphere on Wednesday.
NASA launched the Receipt spacecraft in 2002 to study flares, which include radiation from the Sun. The satellite was decommissioned in 2018.
At around 10pm local time on Wednesday, a huge bright light flashed across the sky of Kyiv. Then the inspection started in the airspace. But within a few moments it was identified as a fallen NASA satellite, military officials said.
The explanation given by the authorities is that the satellite caught fire when it entered the atmosphere. NASA believes that the satellite will burn up and be destroyed, but some parts will be recovered.
