SpaceX rocket left behind a plume of chemical pollution as it burnt up in the atmosphere
- Written by Robyn Schofield, Professor and Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability in Faculty of Science), The University of Melbourne
A 30-second exposure taken from Collm, Saxony, showing a Falcon 9 upper stage re-entering the atmosphere above Berlin, Germany, on 19 February 2025.Gerd BaumgartenSpace junk returning to the Earth is introducing metal pollution to the pristine upper atmosphere as it burns up on re-entry, a new study has found.
Published today in the journal...





