SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium

Source: BBC Technology

Rocket failure and debris

When a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket failed in flight on 19 February 2025, it vaporised into fireballs over Ireland, England, and Germany before finally striking the ground. A man in Komorniki, Poland, found a chunk measuring around 1.5 m × 1 m behind his warehouse.

Detection of lithium plume

Prof Robin Wing at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics (Germany) and his team used a lidar laser to detect metal atoms released from the rocket body, which is made of aluminium‑lithium alloy. Working with Prof John Plane at the University of Leeds, they measured a ten‑fold increase in lithium concentration at roughly 100 km altitude.

“The atmosphere naturally receives about 50–80 g of lithium daily from small meteors,” Wing explains.
“A single Falcon 9 contains about 30 kg of lithium, so this is a substantial addition.”

The researchers also noted concerns about aluminium and aluminium oxides interacting with the ozone layer.

Potential environmental impact

The long‑term consequences of this newly identified source of atmospheric pollution are still uncertain, but scientists warn it could:

• Disrupt aerosol formation and their role in moderating climate and temperature.
• Interact with the ozone layer, potentially accelerating ozone depletion.

Wing compares the situation to the historic release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from refrigerators, which created a hole in the ozone layer before being banned.

Earlier research suggested that 10 % of atmospheric aerosols are already contaminated by space‑derived material. With SpaceX planning to launch up to one million satellites, the risk of further contamination could become significant.

Responses and future concerns

• SpaceX has not responded to BBC News inquiries, nor to the researchers’ direct outreach.
• Approximately 30 000 pieces of debris are currently free‑floating in orbit, posing collision risks to rockets, the International Space Station, and the planet itself.
• A coalition of researchers from NASA, the University of Plymouth, and the University of Texas has urged the United Nations to include protection of Earth’s orbit in the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Andy Lawrence, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, stresses that existing space regulations do not cover emerging problems such as atmospheric pollution from re‑entering debris.

“Space regulations don’t cover the new problems emerging—interference with astronomical observations, risk of collision in orbit, risk of stuff falling on our heads, and now it is becoming clear, atmospheric pollution,” Lawrence said.