Plume from China LandSpace Rocket with 6 Commercial Satellites?: US View
During a geomagnetic storm on May 18, 2025, auroras appeared over more than a dozen American states as far south as New Mexico. There was also something more. A white plume bisected the sky, puzzling observers. Mike Lewinski photographed the display from Crestone, Colorado:
"The aurora was rippling low on the northern horizon when suddenly a bright streak of light, reminiscent of a rocket re-entry, appeared high in the sky and flowed down to the horizon," Lewinski says.
"This plume was not an aurora . . . We believe it is related to a rocket launch in China. About an hour before the plume appeared (5:39 UTC), Chinese launch startup Landspace launched the ZhuQue-2E rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (4:12 UTC). It carried 6 satellites to orbit including a synthetic aperture radar and multiple space science spacecraft. The white streak may have been a de-orbit burn, or perhaps a circularization burn for the deploying satellites."
ZhuQue-2E is a new type of rocket powered by liquid oxygen and liquid methane. This "methalox" technology was developed by Landspace, and their ZhuQue-2 series of methane rockets are the first to reach orbit ahead of other companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX. Methalox offers several advantages over traditional rocket fuels like kerosene and hydrogen. Methane is more easily stored, burns cleaner, and can be produced on Mars.
Location: Crestone, Colorado, United States
Image Date: May 18, 2025
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