KSBY received several inquiries from viewers early Tuesday morning after some people say they saw a bright, fireball-like object falling through the sky.
The sightings were recorded at about 1:40 a.m. According to space.com, the flames through the sky appear to be an orbital module from China's Shenzhou 15 astronaut mission.
That mission launched in November 2022, and according to a log tracking launches and orbits, this Chinese module was expected to return to earth's atmosphere on this day, and at about that time in the Los Angeles area.
According to the American Meteor Society, people from Sacramento all the way down to San Diego reported the sighting to their website, with many pictures and videos submitted.
Most people were speculating what this fireball-like streak could have been, with some thinking it may have been a piece of SpaceX hardware as a Falcon 9 rocket had launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night, six hours earlier.
According to space.com, 'The burning debris couldn't have been the Falcon 9's first stage; that piece of hardware lands safely after launch and is reused. But the workhorse rocket's upper stage is disposable.'
To learn more about China's Shenzhou 15 astronaut mission,click here.
KSBY reached out to SpaceX and Vandeneberg Space Force Base when first learning about the streak of light, but did not receive a response.
