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Metal pollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

Such pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as space debris accumulates and falls to Earth

A Falcon 9 upper stage rocket disintegrates into fragments on February 19, 2025.

A Falcon 9 upper stage rocket disintegrates into fragments in this image taken from Collm, Germany on February 25, 2025. A study of the sky at the time found the deteriorating rocket was releasing metal pollutants.

Gerd Baumgarten

By Adam Mann

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