SAIPAN — The object seen breaking apart in the sky over Saipan on Thursday evening has been confirmed as space debris by Joint Task Force-Micronesia and the Federal Aviation Administration, the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office announced Thursday night.
Residents across Saipan reported seeing the object streak across the sky before it broke apart in the atmosphere. Multiple videos of the event circulated online and were shared with local officials for review.
Officials report there is no indication of any threat to the public. The FAA is tracking the object, and CNMI HSEM said it continues to coordinate with federal partners as additional information becomes available.
The HSEM release did not identify the source of the debris. The object appeared at about 5:45 p.m., roughly 15 minutes after a Chinese Long March 5 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan at 5:30 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time, according to spaceflight tracking services, which list the launch as a success. The rocket flew an eastward trajectory toward geosynchronous orbit, a path that carries spent stages out over the Philippine Sea.
