Recently, an unidentified object was spotted flying south over Catalonia, Spain, and crashed into the sea near Valencia. Initial speculation pointed to the possibility that it could have been a ballistic missile, causing concern among local residents and observers.
According to Yevropeiska Pravda, citing El Mundo, evidence of the flight of an unknown “fireball” was recorded by several video surveillance stations, after which scientists began a detailed study of the images to determine the origin of the object.
BÓLIDO ARTIFICIAL #SPMN290324ART SOBRE EL MEDITERRÁNEO ANOCHE a las 22h59m TUC (23h59 CET). Estudiándola desde @ice_csic para conocer origen, nos decantamos por un misil balístico.
📹Cèsar Guasch @MeteoSantMateu
desde Sant Mateu, #Castelló/#Castellón.
🔜🔖https://t.co/dyrGf8tuXZ pic.twitter.com/yFYHpzow8L– Red Investigación Bólidos y Meteoritos (SPMN)-CSIC (@RedSpmn) March 30, 2024
Spain’s National Research Council (CSIC) has officially refuted the ballistic missile hypothesis, stating that the observed object was most likely an artificial one – a satellite or a fragment of a space rocket returning from Earth orbit.
Josep Maria Trigo, coordinator of the Bolide and Meteorite Research Network at the Institute of Space Sciences, which is part of the CSIC, emphasized that such “re-entries” of space debris into the Earth’s atmosphere are becoming more and more commonplace.
2) A TODO COLOR CAPTADO DESDE BARX, #València por nuestro compañero Jordi Donet @DonetJorge. Impresionantes destellos so luminous as la #Luna los que tuvo este bólido meteórico con radiante en la constelación de #Leo. Su tramo final sugiere que se desintegró sin dejar rastro. pic.twitter.com/YCYjvqbOA3
– Red Investigación Bólidos y Meteoritos (SPMN)-CSIC (@RedSpmn) March 30, 2024
The incident was part of a series of incidents that included the discovery of drone-like fragments in Romania near the Danube River and the border with Ukraine, as well as the violation of Polish airspace by a maneuverable missile launched by Russian long-range aircraft that attacked Ukrainian civilians on the night of March 24.
Such incidents force European states to monitor their airspace with special attention, given the potential threats that may arise from conflicts and military activity in the region. Of particular concern are the actions of the Russians in Ukraine, showing Europeans that Putin’s occupation forces are targeting the entire West, including civilians.
