A Russian cargo ship burnt to a crisp in Earth’s atmosphere while ISS astronauts watched

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station got a front-row seat to some rare atmospheric “fireworks.”

On Nov. 29, the Russian Progress MS-23 cargo spacecraft departed from the International Space Station (ISS) with a load of refuse no longer needed on the orbital outpost. Specifically, the spacecraft was carrying “old equipment and household waste, or everything the experts have decided to toss from the station,” Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko told Russian media outlet TASS.

Just four hours after Progress MS-23 undocked, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli was able to locate the reentering spacecraft and photograph it as it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, leading to some incredible photographs taken from aboard the ISS.

“It happened faster than I thought and was only visible for about 2-3 minutes. It reminded me a bit of fireworks, especially when it broke apart,” Moghbeli wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. “Thanks to those on the ground who helped direct me in where to look!”

Most of the spacecraft and its contents were incinerated high above Earth, but some of the material made its way down into the Pacific Ocean, Russian space agency Roscosmos reported on Wednesday.