Falling Russian rocket now chief suspect for blazing lights seen over UAE

The National -- The speed and dull glow of the mysterious flaming object hurtling over the UAE skies on Monday night were clear signs that it was debris from a Russian space rocket and not a meteor shower, according to the founder of Dubai Astronomy Group.

“When I analysed the video it was clear this was falling space debris disintegrating in the atmosphere,” said Hasan Al Hariri.

The group reported that the object was falling space debris from a Progress rocket used to supply the International Space Station.

“Such modules are guided in such a way that it burns in the air and does not fall into a populated area. This was of the Progress module that supplies the International Space Station with water, food and equipment. It is an unmanned vehicle that is totally autonomous, it docks at the station, the equipment is removed and it’s sent back where it burns in the atmosphere.”

Earlier the group issued a statement saying that: "The view was spectacular and last for almost 80 seconds. The space craft disintegrated in the upper atmosphere and broke up into smaller chunks and burned like fireworks."

It added: "The trajectory of the debris was over Arabian Peninsula crossing UAE and Oman to finally over Indian Ocean."

Dubai Media office initially tweeted a report from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre that “a meteor has passed through the skies of Dubai."

Satellite tracking services also reported that the Progress module had made its final pass before reentry on a track across Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, breaking up at around 7.28pm UAE time, exactly the moment as a mysterious object was seen over the UAE.