During the rocket's flight, an unusual spherical glow was visible. The European Space Agency (ESA) explained during a press conference that this phenomenon was caused by a malfunction in the correction engines. During subsequent flights, a radial dispersion of exhaust gases could be observed.
Karol Wójcicki, an astronomy popularizer in Poland, shared a video on his "Z głową w gwiazdach" Facebook profile, captured by one of his observers, Krzysztof Kołodziejczak.
"The video clearly shows what could be seen with the naked eye: bright clouds of exhaust gases emitted by the rocket's correction engines. At that time, Ariane 6 experienced a malfunction and attempts were made to stabilize it. Unfortunately, this was not fully successful, preventing the mission from completing as planned - the rocket remains in orbit," explained Wójcicki.
Internet users from across Poland competed in sharing photos of the oddly shaped object, visible prominently over cities like Szczecin and throughout the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Reports of the luminous, spherical cloud were also made from Ostrołęka.
The rocket was also visible in the Podkarpackie region.
Ariane 6 measures 63 m in length, with a diameter of 5.4 m, and weighs between 530 and 860 tons. Costing an estimated 3.6 billion euros, the rocket was designed to launch various payloads into space, including observational, scientific, meteorological, telecommunications, and navigation satellites.
Source: x.com/@esa/@MeteoprognozaPL/@MojaOstroleka/@Szczeciner/@facebook.com/ZGlowaWGwiazdach
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