NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured striking images and video of a massive atmospheric fireball streaking over West Africa on April 27, 2026. The phenomenon was caused by the burning remains of a Russian Soyuz rocket, which broke apart while reentering the upper atmosphere after launching the Progress 95 cargo spacecraft.
Williams, who lived and worked on the International Space Station between November 2025 and July 2026, took the photos from the station’s cupola and shared them on X. Just as we were passing over West Africa, I saw a bright object directly below us, streaking through the upper atmosphere,
Williams wrote, adding, I saw its tail grow and then split apart into a shower of smaller pieces. It was quite a light show!
Astronaut Witnesses Burning Remains of Soyuz Rocket
Williams initially looked down to spot the Russian cargo spacecraft Progress 95, which successfully delivered supplies and equipment to the space station later that day. Instead, he observed what he believed to be orbital debris or a satellite breaking up. Space.com later revealed that Williams witnessed the burning remains of the Soyuz rocket that carried Progress 95 into space after lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
On April 27th at about 10:40 PM GMT, I was in the @Space_Station Cupola and saw something really neat. I was scanning the sky to try to catch a glimpse of the approaching Progress MS-34 vehicle bringing new supplies. Just as we were passing over West Africa, I saw a bright… pic.twitter.com/5hgtCnC6XB
After deploying the resupply shuttle into low Earth orbit, the rocket’s fairings and booster fell back toward Earth and were superheated and vaporized by intense friction in the upper atmosphere. While a NASA statement noted the fireball could have been caused by meteor activity, it stated that it was more likely to be the Soyuz rocket.
Atmospheric Impact of Space Junk
Fireballs from human-made objects are becoming increasingly common as more spacecraft orbit Earth. Most spacecraft and large space debris burn up around 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth’s surface, just below the Kármán line.
Researchers have recently detected a sharp increase in atmospheric metal pollution from vaporized spacecraft. Scientists are investigating what effects this pollution might have, with some proposing it could impact the ozone layer or potentially alter Earth’s magnetic field.
