Not Space Debris, the Luminous Object in the Lampung to NTT Sky is Confirmed as a Rocket Owned by China

JAKARTA - Researchers from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) finally provided an explanation regarding the luminous object seen on Saturday, April 11. This object was confirmed to be part of a Chinese rocket.

This phenomenon was reported to be seen in the sky of Lampung, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) around 18.40 WIB. The object was confirmed as a Smart Dragon-3 rocket (Jielong-3).

The rocket was launched at 18.32 WIB from a sea-based launch system in Yangjiang, Guangdong. The trajectory of the rocket launch crossed Indonesian territory so that the phenomenon could be clearly seen in a number of areas.

Thomas Djamaluddin, Senior Expert Researcher at BRIN, explained that the light was the trace of rocket exhaust gas when heading to orbit. The gas blast interacts with the upper atmosphere and reflects sunlight.

"The light seen in the sky is the trail of the Jielong-3 rocket that is heading for orbit," Thomas said in a statement, quoted from the BRIN official website on Monday, April 13.

The Jielong-3 rocket is a solid-fuel rocket type designed to reach an altitude of up to 500 kilometers. In this mission, the rocket is tasked with carrying an internet satellite to be placed in the Sun-synchronous Orbit (SSO).

BRIN emphasized that this phenomenon is different from the incident of the fall of space debris in early April. The view of the glowing object this time is only from the activity of launching a rocket that is going up to space, not a burning falling object.

"What is visible on April 11 is a rocket that is being launched, not a falling object," Thomas said in his statement. This statement also dispelled public concerns about the potential dangers of the glowing object.