On the night of Wednesday, May 14, 2025, a celestial spectacle surprised residents across several regions of Brazil. A luminous object streaked across the sky, observed from cities in the states of Mato Grosso, Goiás, the Federal District, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. BRAMON (the Brazilian Meteor Observation Network) received numerous reports and videos capturing the event, which enabled a detailed analysis of the object’s trajectory.
Registro do fenômeno em Bocaiuva, MG – Créditos: Renato Teixeira
Trajectory Analysis
The captured footage shows that the object was first seen over Brasília at 6:24 PM (local time) and disappeared over Bahia by 6:28 PM. Over the course of approximately four minutes, the object traveled about 1,500 km—corresponding to a speed between 6 and 7 km/s. This velocity is consistent with the reentry of an object in Earth orbit, ruling out the possibility of it being a typical meteor.
Object Identification
By comparing the observed data with orbital objects scheduled for reentry, BRAMON identified the most likely candidate as the body of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, cataloged by NORAD under number 40108. This rocket stage was launched on August 5, 2014, as part of the mission that deployed the AsiaSat 8 communications satellite, which provides transmission services across the Asia-Pacific region.
After completing its mission, the Falcon 9’s second stage remained in orbit as space debris. Over time, its orbit gradually decayed, ultimately leading to the atmospheric reentry observed this Wednesday.
Confirmation and Margin of Error
Trajetória do objeto (amarelo) estimada pela BRAMON, previsão da passagem do Falcon 9 (NORAD 40108) considerando os dados defasados (laranja) e passagem recalculada considerando a deterioração orbital esperada para o foguete – Créditos: BRAMON
The calculations performed by BRAMON were based on the last available tracking data of the object—nearly two days before its reentry. This delay introduces a significant margin of error. As objects experience atmospheric drag, their orbital period shortens, causing reentries to occur earlier than predicted. In this case, for the object fit the observed phenomenon, it would have needed to pass over Brazil approximately 14 minutes earlier than expected—an acceptable discrepancy given the outdated data used. To increase the accuracy of the identification, BRAMON has reached out to orbital dynamics experts for confirmation. During the early hours of the 15th, these calculations were confirmed by Jonathan McDowell and Joseph Remis.
About the Falcon 9 Rocket
The Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket developed by SpaceX, designed to deliver payloads into space in a reusable and cost-effective manner. The AsiaSat 8 mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and its second stage remained in orbit for nearly 11 years before reentering Earth’s atmosphere.
Lançamento do foguet e Falcon 9 da Space X em 5 de agosto de 2014 – Créditos: SpaceX
Conclusion
The reentry of the Falcon 9 rocket body over Brazil provided a rare and spectacular show for observers. Events like this highlight the importance of continuous monitoring of orbital objects and collaboration between organizations to identify and analyze celestial phenomena.
For more information and updates on astronomical events, follow BRAMON’s official channels on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. If you witnessed or recorded a bright meteor, submit your report via the form at bramon.imo.net and help advance meteor science in Brazil.
