WATCH: Locals capture ‘space junk’ as it falls to Earth

Some South Africans witnessed what is believed to be debris from a Russian space rocket as it fell to Earth on Sunday evening (June 5).

Some Estcourtonians had the pleasure of viewing this too.

According to the Astronomical Society of SA (Assa) the debris was from a Russian SL-4 rocket’s upper stage and not a meteor.

“It is space junk rather than a meteor as it is moving slowly, at 20,000 to 30,000km/h, and breaks up into several pieces. Meteors travel at 70,000 to 80,000km/h and appear as a single streak,” said Assa vice-chairperson Carmel Ives in national media coverage.

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