TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Residents in several areas of Lampung, Indonesia, were startled by the appearance of a glowing object passing through the sky on Saturday night, April 4, 2026, and later confirmed to be space debris. The bright bluish light with a long tail was seen splitting the sky for several seconds before disappearing.
The phenomenon immediately sparked discussions on social media. Several amateur videos recorded by residents went viral, sparking various speculations. Some referred to it as a meteor, comet, or even Iranian missile.
The event was observed at several points, from Bandar Lampung, East Lampung, to South Lampung. Residents who were outside their homes admitted to being panicked when they saw the glowing object passing quickly through the night sky.
Thomas Djamaluddin, an Astronomy Professor at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), referred to the mysterious celestial object as space debris from the Chinese CZ-3B rocket. "Residents around Lampung and Banten were excited by the bright object that streaked across the sky and appeared to break into several parts. It was space debris," Thomas told Tempo on Sunday, April 5, 2026.
Thomas explained that the object descended to a height of below 120 km and could be seen by residents at around 19:56 WIB. "The object entered the dense atmosphere, continued to burn and break apart. That's what residents around Lampung and Banten witnessed," Thomas said.
Thomas then explained that the space debris was from the Chinese CZ-3B rocket from India towards the Indian Ocean. "The latest information from Space-Track and orbit analysis shows that the Chinese rocket debris was launched from India towards the Indian Ocean on the west coast of Sumatra," he said.
Thomas explained that the phenomenon of space debris falling is not rare globally, but occurrences that pass through and can be directly observed in Indonesian territory are relatively rare. A similar event last occurred on July 30, 2022, when a similar object was seen in Lampung and fell in the Sanggau area, West Kalimantan.
At that time, also on a Saturday night, the space debris originated from the remnants of the Chinese CZ-5B space station module launch rocket. The rocket, which originally weighed around 20 tons and measured 30 meters, was confirmed to have undergone atmospheric re-entry in the Indian Ocean and its fragments fell along its final orbit path, from southern Sumatra, Bangka-Belitung, to West Kalimantan.
A year earlier, on January 4, 2021, the identification of a fallen space object in Teluk Kramat, West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, also revealed space debris from China's Beidou navigation satellite launch rocket.
Joint teams with residents of West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan checking debris suspected to be an aircraft wreck found in Kumai waters, Tuesday, January 5, 2021. Credit: ANTARA/HO-Humas Polda Kalteng
Thomas stressed that space debris phenomena generally do not pose a danger to the public. According to him, most space debris will burn up in the atmosphere before reaching the earth's surface. "Risks only arise if there are parts that do not burn completely and fall in residential areas, but so far, this has never happened anywhere in the world," he added, the former Head of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency said.
Thomas also explained that the main cause of space debris falling to earth is air resistance in low orbit. He explained that a disused rocket or satellite will experience deceleration due to interaction with the atmosphere, causing its altitude to continue to decrease until it enters the dense atmospheric layer and burns up.
He urged the public to remain calm and not panic if they see similar phenomena in the future. This phenomenon, he said, is part of the dynamics of global space activities that can be scientifically observed, as well as an opportunity to increase public literacy in science and space.
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